Since then, there were multiple EBOV transmitting events 41, 42 and many EVD outbreaks 43, 44. family members Filoviridae. Lloviu pathogen (LLOV) could be categorized as a definite genus, Kuhl 1817), and phylogenetic analyses possess confirmed that LLOV JK 184 is certainly faraway from both Marburg EBOV and pathogen 14, 15. Nevertheless, this pathogen has not however been isolated. The genus Ebola pathogen (EBOV) provides the pursuing types: Ebola pathogen, ebola Zaire previously, Sudan Ebola pathogen, Reston Ebola pathogen, Ta? Forest Ebola pathogen (previously C?te d’Ivoire Ebola pathogen) and Bundibugyo Ebola pathogen 14, 15. Inside the genus Marburg virus, there is a single species, Marburg virus (formerly Lake Victoria Marburg virus), which consists of two very divergent viruses, Marburg virus and Ravn virus, which are approximately 20% divergent at the genetic level 14, 15, 16. Of interest, this is in contrast to the known diversity for EBOV species, with a nucleotide difference between sequences of only 2.7%, 5.2% and 4.5% for EBOV, Sudan Ebola virus and Reston Ebola virus, respectively 16, 17. Classification of the Filoviridae family will most probably continue to develop as further information becomes available through genome sequencing. Phylogenetic studies have been applied to estimate the age of filoviruses. The estimates of common ancestor age range from thousands to millions of years 18, 19, which indicates that these studies should be repeated using novel techniques and increased sample size to obtain more consistent estimates of the age of filoviruses. Recent studies of almost 100 whole\genome sequences using Bayesian coalescent phylogenetic analyses indicate nucleotide substitutions/site/year for different viruses ranging from 0.46??10?4 JK 184 for Sudan Ebola JK 184 virus to 8.21?10?4 for Reston Ebola virus. Studies by Carroll EBOV is also able to express a truncated soluble GP, which contributes to a mechanism of host immune system evasion through absorption of antibodies and interference with antibody\mediated clearance 21, 38, 39, 40. Ebola virus disease was first described in 1976 in Zaire [now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)]. Since then, there have been multiple EBOV transmission events 41, 42 and several EVD outbreaks 43, 44. In August 2014, the largest, most sustained and most widespread EVD outbreak in history became apparent and was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO was notified of the outbreak in March 2014 45, after a febrile illness cluster with high case fatality rate in the area of Gueckedou, Guinea. This attracted international attention and was subsequently identified as the viral zoonosis EBOV. Sequencing data showed that the 2014 outbreak in West Africa was due to infection with a strain of EBOV that differed from the viral strains identified in earlier outbreaks 45. The suspected index case in the current outbreak is believed to be a 2\year\old boy in Guinea, who died on 6 December 2013; it was initially suggested that he contracted the disease after exposure to an infected fruit bat 46; however, new data indicate that EBOV transmission to this boy was instead through insectivorous bats 47. His case became the starting point source for person\to\person Rabbit Polyclonal to PTRF spread of EVD into the population in several West African countries. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been most affected, and these countries continue to report new cases. Since the beginning of this current outbreak, EBOV has infected 24?666 individuals and has caused 10?179 deaths, according to a WHO report issued on 18 March 2015 48 (Fig.?1). However, the exact number of cases is difficult to determine, and the magnitude of the outbreak is believed to have been significantly under estimated. One case in Senegal was a traveller from Guinea, and a small number of cases in Nigeria and Mali originated from Liberia and Guinea, respectively. All these countries have since been declared free from EVD, largely as a result of rigorous control measures. There have also been a very few cases of EVD amongst travellers returning to Western Europe and the USA. Open in a separate window Figure 1 The number of confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola virus disease over time. It is important to note that the symptoms, transmissibility, incubation period and death rate in the current outbreak are similar to those reported for previous outbreaks. Genetic analysis of samples from the current outbreak suggests a single transmission event from the natural.