Ebolavirus Discovery in West Africa

Date/Time: 30 October 2019, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Speaker: Tracey Goldstein, Ph.D.
Speaker Affiliation: Associate Director, Professor, One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis
Venue: John A. Burns School of Medicine, Medical Education Building Auditorium (Room 315)

For more info: Axel Lehrer, (808) 692-1614, lehrer@hawaii.edu
Description: Bats are thought to serve as hosts of ebolaviruses, but despite more than 40 years of research and continued outbreaks, the reservoirs of ebolaviruses remain unknown and outbreaks continue to occur. We initiated a survey in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to identify hosts of Ebola virus (EBOV; species Zaire ebolavirus) and to identify any additional filoviruses that might be circulating in wildlife. We discovered a new species within the Ebolavirus genus, named Bombali virus, in little free-tailed bats (Chaerephon pumilus) and Angolan free-tailed bats (Mops condylurus) roosting inside houses in Sierra Leone. We also detected Marburg virus in Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) for the first time in Sierra Leone and Ebola virus in a greater long-fingered bat (Miniopterus inflatus) for the first time in Liberia. These discoveries are improving our understanding of the ecology and potential health risks from Ebola and related viruses.
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