Study links Congo-Uganda Ebola outbreak to animal transmission
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo concerns a previously unseen variant of the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, indicating it stemmed from a new transmission from animals to humans rather than from variants linked to earlier outbreaks, a new study said.
Researchers from Congo, Uganda, Belgium and other countries analysed the genetic make-up of virus samples from 22 patients in Congo and Uganda and found the outbreak strain was genetically distinct from previous Bundibugyo Ebola viruses seen in outbreaks in 2007 and 2012.
The study did not identify the animal source of the outbreak, but Ebola viruses are known to spill over periodically from infected animals to humans.
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