Investigating the zoonotic origin of the West African Ebola epidemic

• Published in: EMBO molecular medicine Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 17 - 23
• Main Authors: Marí Saéz, Almudena, Weiss, Sabrina, Nowak, Kathrin, Lapeyre, Vincent, Zimmermann, Fee, Düx, Ariane, Kühl, Hjalmar S, Kaba, Moussa, Regnaut, Sebastien, Merkel, Kevin, Sachse, Andreas, Thiesen, Ulla, Villányi, Lili, Boesch, Christophe, Dabrowski, Piotr W, Radonić, Aleksandar, Nitsche, Andreas, Leendertz, Siv Aina J, Petterson, Stefan, Becker, Stephan, Krähling, Verena, Couacy‐Hymann, Emmanuel, Akoua‐Koffi, Chantal, Weber, Natalie, Schaade, Lars, Fahr, Jakob, Borchert, Matthias, Gogarten, Jan F, Calvignac‐Spencer, Sébastien, Leendertz, Fabian H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2015; EMBO Press; BlackWell Publishing Ltd; Springer Nature
• Subjects: Africa, Western - epidemiology; Animals; bat; Bats; Chiroptera; Chiroptera - genetics; Chiroptera - virology; Disease Outbreaks; Disease Reservoirs - virology; Ebola; Ebola virus; Ebolavirus; Ebolavirus - genetics; Ebolavirus - isolation & purification; Ebolavirus - physiology; EMBO23; Epidemics; Experimental infection; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - epidemiology; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - transmission; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - virology; Humans; Hunting; Infections; Medical research; Viruses; West Africa; wildlife; Zoonoses; Zoonoses - epidemiology; Zoonoses - transmission; Zoonoses - virology; zoonosis; Africa, Western; Liberia; Sierra Leone; Zaire; Central Africa; West Africa; bat; Ebola; zoonosis; West Africa; wildlife

The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa stems from a single zoonotic transmission event to a 2‐year‐old boy in Meliandou, Guinea. We investigated the zoonotic origins of the epidemic using wildlife surveys, interviews, and molecular analyses of bat and environmental samples....