title: Emergence of subtype Zaire Ebola virus in Gabon.
abstract: Gabon has recently been struck three times by Ebola hemorrhagic fever. The first isolate originating from the 1994 outbreak has been subjected to molecular characterization of its GP and VP24 genes. Sequence analysis demonstrates that the agent, Gabon-94 virus, belongs to subtype Zaire of Ebola virus. The isolate is closely related to the Kikwit-95 isolate, and both viruses seem to have evolved from a progenitor virus different from that of the Zaire-76 isolates. The relatively close relationship of all subtype Zaire viruses isolated at different geographical locations and up to 20 years apart suggests an extreme conservation in the yet unknown natural reservoir of Ebola viruses. The level of genetic variability in the human host might be different as indicated by the comparison of isolates from a single outbreak (Mayinga-76 and Eckron-76), but needs further investigation on clinical material of patients by PCR since both isolates have different levels of passages in tissue culture.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Virologie, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Volchkov
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Volchkova
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eckel
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Klenk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouloy
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: LeGuenno
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feldmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005681:Gabon; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014709:Vero Cells; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins