Shrestha Dutta, Amity University Kolkata
Ebola-like Marburg virus disease (MVD), earlier known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever, is a lethal disease in people. The infection causes extreme viral hemorrhagic fever in the patient. Marburg and Ebola infections are both members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus). Both the diseases are the same clinically but are caused by two different viruses.
History of Marburg virus:
The causative agent of Marburg virus disease (MVD) is the Marburg virus has a fatality rate of up to 88% which can be lowered with good patient care.MVD was at first detected in 1967 after concurrent outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany; and in Belgrade, Serbia. This led to the acknowledgment of the disease. In 2008, two autonomous cases were accounted in travelers who had visited a cave where Rousettus bat inhabited in Uganda.
The recent case of MVD:
A patient with uncommon, but severely infectious MVD has passed away in Guinea, as per the statement given by World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday. It is the first instance of an Ebola-like infection in West Africa.
Samples of the virus causing hemorrhagic fever were collected from the patient in Gueckedou. The statement provided for the identification of the virus was reported less than two months after Guinea proclaimed an end to its latest Ebola outbreak.
Transmission of MVD infection:
At first, human MVD contamination results from long exposures to mines or caves where Rousettus bat stays. Marburg spreads through human-to-human transmission through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous layers) with the blood, secretions, organs, or other fluids of the body of individuals who are infected, and with surfaces and materials (for example bedding, dressing) infected with these fluids.
Medical care workers have often been contaminated while treating patients with MVD infections. Transmission through infected injection or needle-stick injuries is related to more serious infection, rapid weakening, and, possibly, a higher fatality rate.
Incubation period:
The incubation period varies from 2 days to 21 days.
Symptoms of the disease:
The symptoms due to the infection of the Marburg virus occur all of a sudden. The symptoms are:
- High fever
- Severe headache and severe malaise
- The most common feature is – muscle pain
- Severe watery diarrhea (sometimes it may persist for a week)
- Abdominal pains and cramps
- Nausea and vomiting can also begin from the third day
- At this phase, the patient appears “ghost-like” with deep-set eyes, a face with no expression, and extreme lethargy.
Sometimes the patient may show severe hemorrhagic manifestations between 5-7 days. In fatal cases, bleeding may occur from different areas:
- Fresh blood is often seen in vomiting and feces
- Bleeding may also occur from the nose, gum, and vagina
- Spontaneous bleeding is seen via the venepuncture site ( the site where intravenous access is obtained to inject fluids or collect blood samples)
- At times, the patient may have sustained a high fever.
During the severe phase of illness, the central nervous system may also result in confusion, aggression, and irritation. In males, during the last phases of infection often orchitis i.e inflammation of one or both the testicles has also been reported.
In fatal cases, due to severe blood loss and shock, death may occur between 8 and 9 days.
Diagnostic methods:
- Antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
- Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
- Serum neutralization test
- Electron microscopy
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References:
- Guinea confirms West Africa’s first case of rare, Ebola-like Marburg virus disease. (n.d.). https://www.cnnphilippines.com/world/2021/8/11/West-Africa-Marburg-virus.html
- Marburg virus disease. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/marburg-virus-disease
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Author info:
Shrestha Dutta is a 4th-year Biotechnology Engineering Student with a great interest in Genetics, Recombinant DNA Technology, and Immunology. She is a creative scientific writer in Bioxone with an inclination towards gaining knowledge regarding various sections of Biotechnology and engaging herself in various wet lab skills. She also has a review paper published in the journal IJSER.
Reference links:
Publications in Bioxone:
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