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Filovirus (FV)ClassificationSingle-stranded, negative-sense RNA, enveloped
Family Filoviridae
Affected SpeciesNonhuman primates (NHPs) (chimpanzee, monkey,
macaque, orangutan, and baboon) and humans
FrequencyThe risk of NHPs in commercial primate colonies becoming
infected with filovirus is extremely low. However, filoviruses
are zoonotic and transmissible to humans from infected
NHPs, and therefore require routine screening during
quarantine while importing animals.
TransmissionMembers of the filovirus family are Marburgvirus and
Ebolavirus, named after their sites of outbreak. The first
filovirus outbreak with Marburgvirus occurred in 1967 in
Germany and Yugoslavia, when laboratory technicians
handling tissues from African green monkeys developed
hemorrhagic fever. Ebolavirus was first identified in 1976
when two outbreaks of Ebola occurred in northern Zaire
and southern Sudan. Five species of Ebolavirus have been
identified to date: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Taï Forest
(formerly Ivory Coast), and Reston, Virginia, USA. In 1989,
filovirus was introduced into a NHP colony in Reston from
animals originating from the Philippines. Ebola-Reston is the
only known filovirus that does not cause severe disease in
humans; however, it can still be fatal in monkeys.
The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and
spreads in the human population through human-to-
human transmission. The exact transmission mode from
the natural virus reservoir to a host (nonhuman primate)
is unknown. However, animal-to-person and person-to-
person transmission occurs via direct contact of infected
bodily fluids or contaminated materials. Two laboratory
experiments have demonstrated the viruses have limited
infectivity through small-particle aerosols. Airborne spread
among humans has not been clearly demonstrated.
SummaryFilovirus is transmitted to
humans or monkeys through wild
animals and by direct contact
of infected bodily fluids from
human to human. Hemorrhagic
fever, organ failure and internal/
external bleeding are the clinical
signs in humans and nonhuman
primates. The most common
method for screening for filovirus
in nonhuman primate colonies is
by MFIA or ELISA using serum for
detection of infected antibodies.
[email protected] • www.criver.com © 2018, Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Clinical SignsFilovirus can cause severe hemorrhagic fever in both
humans and nonhuman primates. The time frame from
infection to onset of symptoms is 2 to 21 days. Initial
symptoms in humans are sudden onset of fever, fatigue,
muscle pain, headache, and sore throat. This is followed by
vomiting, diarrhea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and
liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external
bleeding. Laboratory findings include low white blood cell
and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes.
DiagnosisFilovirus causes an acute, serious illness which is often
fatal in both humans and NHPs. The historic mortality rate
in human ranges from 25% to 90%. There is currently
no licensed vaccine for filovirus, although several are in
development due to recent human outbreaks in Africa in
year 2015-16. Multiple assays are used to confirm filovirus
infections: antibody or antigen capture ELISA, serum
neutralization, RT-PCR, EM, and in vitro virus isolation.
Early medical intervention is critical in improving chances
of survival. Test results should be scrutinized, taking into
consideration filovirus disease prevalence in the local
general population.
Interference with Research
Due to the high mortality rate of filovirus-infected animals,
its interference with NHP studies is not a factor.
Prevention and TreatmentIn the event of an outbreak, infected NHPs and humans
should be isolated, and follow the viral hemorrhagic fever
isolation precautions initiated per CDC guidelines.
References https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/virus-families/filoviridae.html
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
Serologic Cross-Reactivity of Human IgM and IgG
Antibodies to Five Species of Ebola Virus, Adam MacNeil,
Zachary Reed, Pierre E. Rollin, Viral Special Pathogens
Branch, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
Preliminary report: isolation of Ebola virus from monkeys
imported to USA, Jahrling PB, Geisbert TW, Dalgard DW,
Johnson ED, Ksiazek TG, Hall WC, Peters CJ, Lancet.
1990 Mar 3;335(8688):502-5.
Ebola virus disease and the veterinary perspective,
Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. Semra Gumusova,
Mustafa Sunbul, and Hakan Leblebicioglu, PMCID:
PMC4450609, 2015; 14: 30, Published online
2015 May 28. doi: 10.1186/s12941-015-0089-x.