title: Risk factors for Marburg hemorrhagic fever, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
abstract: We conducted two antibody surveys to assess risk factors for Marburg hemorrhagic fever in an area of confirmed Marburg virus transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Questionnaires were administered and serum samples tested for Marburg-specific antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Fifteen (2%) of 912 participants in a general village cross-sectional antibody survey were positive for Marburg immunoglobulin G antibody. Thirteen (87%) of these 15 were men who worked in the local gold mines. Working as a miner (odds ratio [OR] 13.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.1 to 62.1) and receiving injections (OR 7.4, 95% CI 1.6 to 33.2) were associated with a positive antibody result. All 103 participants in a targeted antibody survey of healthcare workers were antibody negative. Primary transmission of Marburg virus to humans likely occurred via exposure to a still unidentified reservoir in the local mines. Secondary transmission appears to be less common with Marburg virus than with Ebola virus, the other known filovirus.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. dbausch@Tulane.edu
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bausch
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borchert
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grein
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Swanepoel
authors.forename: Modeste L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Libande
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Talarmin
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertherat
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Muyembe-Tamfum
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tugume
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colebunders
authors.forename: Kader M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kondé
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirad
authors.forename: Loku L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Olinda
authors.forename: Guénaël R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Rodier
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Oyewale
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tomori
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ksiazek
authors.forename: Pierre E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Rollin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008379:Marburg Virus Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D029024:Marburgvirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral