Multiple Ebola Virus Transmission Events and Rapid Decline of Central African Wildlife

Eric M. Leroy(Wildlife Conservation Society), Pierre Rouquet(Wildlife Conservation Society), Pierre Formenty(Wildlife Conservation Society), Sandrine Souquière(Wildlife Conservation Society), Annelisa Kilbourne(Wildlife Conservation Society), Jean-Marc Froment(Wildlife Conservation Society), Magdalena Bermejo(Wildlife Conservation Society), Sheilag Smit(Wildlife Conservation Society), William B. Karesh(Wildlife Conservation Society), Robert Swanepoel(Wildlife Conservation Society), Sherif R. Zaki(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Pierre E. Rollin(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Science
January 15, 2004
Cited by 784Open Access
Full Text

Abstract

Several human and animal Ebola outbreaks have occurred over the past 4 years in Gabon and the Republic of Congo. The human outbreaks consisted of multiple simultaneous epidemics caused by different viral strains, and each epidemic resulted from the handling of a distinct gorilla, chimpanzee, or duiker carcass. These animal populations declined markedly during human Ebola outbreaks, apparently as a result of Ebola infection. Recovered carcasses were infected by a variety of Ebola strains, suggesting that Ebola outbreaks in great apes result from multiple virus introductions from the natural host. Surveillance of animal mortality may help to predict and prevent human Ebola outbreaks.


Related Papers

No related papers found

Powered by citation graph analysis