Scientists Have Discovered a New Strain of Ebola

The ongoing Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is caused by a previously unobserved variant of the rarer Bundibugyo virus. According to a new study, this suggests that the outbreak resulted from a new animal-to-human transmission and is not directly related to viruses from previous epidemics.

Scientists from the Congo, Uganda, Belgium and other countries analyzed the genetic makeup of samples from 22 patients in the Congo and Uganda. They found that the current variant is genetically distinct from the Bundibugyo viruses recorded during the 2007 and 2012 outbreaks.

The results, published in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest that after the initial transmission from an animal, the virus began to spread among humans. Scientists have not yet identified the specific animal source. Genetic analysis also confirmed that cases reported in neighboring Uganda are linked to the outbreak in the Congo.

Scientists emphasize the need for more accessible testing and genetic sequencing of viruses, which could help detect and bring future epidemics under control sooner.

(Reuters, mja)