AI Article Synopsis

  • In July and September 2007, miners in Kitaka Cave, Uganda, contracted Marburg hemorrhagic fever, linked to Egyptian fruit bats as the likely infection source.
  • Researchers found Marburg virus RNA in 5.1% of the bats and isolated different strains of the virus, showing ongoing circulation for at least nine months.
  • The genetic similarities between the virus in bats and the infected miners suggest that these bats are a significant reservoir for the Marburg virus, posing a risk of transmission to humans.

Article Abstract

In July and September 2007, miners working in Kitaka Cave, Uganda, were diagnosed with Marburg hemorrhagic fever. The likely source of infection in the cave was Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) based on detection of Marburg virus RNA in 31/611 (5.1%) bats, virus-specific antibody in bat sera, and isolation of genetically diverse virus from bat tissues. The virus isolates were collected nine months apart, demonstrating long-term virus circulation. The bat colony was estimated to be over 100,000 animals using mark and re-capture methods, predicting the presence of over 5,000 virus-infected bats. The genetically diverse virus genome sequences from bats and miners closely matched. These data indicate common Egyptian fruit bats can represent a major natural reservoir and source of Marburg virus with potential for spillover into humans.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2713404PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000536DOI Listing

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