Posted on 08/28/2007 10:42:34 PM PDT by neverdem
Researchers reported for the first time last week that they have found the Marburg virus in a nonprimate species — bats.
Now, they have turned their attention to a bat-infested lead and gold mine in western Uganda, in an attempt to determine if bats harbor the disease between periodic outbreaks in southern Africa. One miner working in the mine died of Marburg disease on July 14, and several others apparently recovered from it. “We’re trying to see where this goes,” Jonathan Towner, the lead author of the report, published Aug. 22 in the online journal PloS ONE, said in a telephone interview. “We need a good, solid survey of what’s living here and what might have Marburg in it.”
Dr. Towner, a microbiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is working in Ibanda, Uganda, with a group jointly sponsored by the agency, the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, a South African government group.
Because Ebola, a closely related virus, had earlier been found in bats, scientists suspected they might harbor Marburg as well. The scientists tested more than 1,100 bats of 10 species in Gabon and Congo and found the virus in four bats of the cave-dwelling species, Rousettus aegyptiacus. The bats, which range all over sub-Saharan Africa, had been trapped in 2005 and 2006 at two locations in Gabon. All of the infected animals appeared healthy.
Marburg infection in humans can be fatal. Symptoms include persistent diarrhea, high fever, bleeding from the nose, gums and vagina, and bloody vomit and feces. There have been periodic occurrences of Marburg in southern Africa during the past three decades, but no one has been able to figure out its natural reservoir — that is, where the virus hides between outbreaks.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
micro ping
WOW, thanks!
I seem to recall that the HotZone author had traced Ebola back to a particular bat infested cave in Africa as well.
Tropical viruses are the worst. AIDS is just another example.
Bkmarked.
If memory serves correct, unlike Ebola, which has a very high death rate, Marburg only has a something like 25% death rate.
Innerestin’
Thanks for the link.
Considering the source of this news (NYT), I am kinda wondering if maybe the actual story wasn’t around someone finding a discarded pack of Marlboros and someone nearby said “oh, those are mine”.
Marlboros, mine. Marburg, mine. They’ve spun harder with less.
I linked the actual source of the article, Marburg Virus Infection Detected in a Common African Bat, so what's your point?
Wasn’t poking at you, just some bad tempered snark at the NYT. I did read the article and it is interesting.
I do apologize for the lame attempt at sideways humor.
Still supports using the antibodies to make a vaccine or antivirus (it is a virus, right?).
I think it would be worth it, don’t you? If Marburg got lose in the gp and you knew that that 1 in 4 of your family members or friends would face death... isn’t it worth it?
add Me thanks
I have watched via film brought back the underground sea volcanoes and actual lil crabs and other sea life that live on that molten lava.
Now that I think about it in the seminars we were so wow ed about the continuous eruptions and sea life no on ever asked about the testing of possible viruses.
However when the crew came up with part of the sea cab that got to close to the eruptions it was like hard candy on the oopsie got to close area.
Two great books/movies but notice we don’t see much anymore in the media?
Was it just Hollywood fiction or fact that Ebola was conected to Primates/Monkeys.
IIRC the book even if fiction had some cave connection. Bat droppings?
It's still a nasty Hemorrhagic fever, and the results aren't pretty, whether you survive it or not.
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