TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH MARBURG VIRUS

Abstract

 Marburg virus, a member of the family Filoviridae and genus Marburgvirus, is a zoonotic virus that is initially transmitted from animals to humans. Both Marburg virus and ebola virus belong to the Filoviridae family of viruses and have the capacity to cause outbreaks with high fatality rates. The animal reservoir in nature for the Marburg virus is the African fruit bat (i.e., Rousettus aegyptiacus). Marburg virus is clinically similar to ebola virus and can lead to Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever. MVD is a rare and severe hemorrhagic fever affecting both humans and non-human primates. Marburg virus was first discovered in 1967, following two large simultaneous Marburg outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany and in Belgrade, Serbia. The initial outbreak was associated with laboratory work using African green monkeys imported from Uganda. Subsequent outbreaks and sporadic cases were later observed in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.