Filoviridae

Taxobox
name = "PAGENAME"
virus_group = v

---

image_width = 250px
image_caption = Marburg virus particles, ~100,000x magnification
ordo = "Mononegavirales"
familia = "Filoviridae"
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision ="Marburgvirus" "Ebolavirus"

"Filoviridae" is the family of viruses that belong to the order "Mononegavirales". Filoviruses are single stranded negative sense RNA viruses that target primates. There are two genera: the Ebola virus ("Ebolavirus", with five subtypes) [ [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola.htm Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever | CDC Special Pathogens Branch ] ] and Marburg virus ("Marburgvirus"). These viruses cause viral hemorrhagic fevers, characterized by bleeding and coagulation abnormalities, often leading to death. The name is derived from the Latin word , alluding to the thread-like appearance of virus particles in electron microscope images.

History

The filoviridae family was discovered in 1967 when 31 people were infected with the Marburg virus in Marburg, Germany after working with tissue from monkeys imported from Uganda [Martini, GA, Knauff, HG, Schmidt, HA "et al". A previously unknown infectious disease contracted from monkeys: Marburg virus disease. "Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift" 1968; 93(12):559–571.] . Seven people who caught the disease died. All subsequent outbreaks have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. The second genus of the filoviridae family, Ebola virus, was discovered in 1976 when outbreaks occurred in northern Zaire and southern Sudan. Years later, there was one outbreak near Washington, D.C. in 1989. The virus was Ebola Reston, and it was eventually discovered that Reston has no affect on humans.The Ebola virus is a very potent virus, having a mortality rate of 20% to 90% reported in some of the Zaire Ebola outbreaks.

The natural reservoir of both the Marburg virus and the Ebola virus appears to be zoonotic, which means that the virus is transmitted to humans from other animals. Despite numerous attempts to find the source of both the Marburg and Ebola viruses, neither has been found. Bats, though, have been suspected because they can replicate filoviridae-like viruses [ [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/filoviruses.htm Filoviruses | CDC Special Pathogens Branch ] ] .

The mechanisms through which filoviruses spread are not fully understood. The route of transmission from animals to humans is unknown. Person-to-person transmission occurs primarily through physical contact with infected bodily fluids, such as infected blood or vomit.

References

External websites

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