Risk factors for Marburg hemorrhagic fever, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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.
Bausch
Daniel G
DG
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. dbausch@Tulane.edu
Borchert
Matthias
M
Grein
Thomas
T
Roth
Cathy
C
Swanepoel
Robert
R
Libande
Modeste L
ML
Talarmin
Antoine
A
Bertherat
Eric
E
Muyembe-Tamfum
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Tugume
Ben
B
Colebunders
Robert
R
Kondé
Kader M
KM
Pirad
Patricia
P
Olinda
Loku L
LL
Rodier
Guénaël R
GR
Campbell
Patricia
P
Tomori
Oyewale
O
Ksiazek
Thomas G
TG
Rollin
Pierre E
PE
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
D000914:Antibodies, Viral