Did a Single Amino Acid Change Make Ebola Virus More Virulent?
A mutation in the Ebola virus glycoprotein arose early during the 2013-2016 epidemic and dominated the viral population. Two studies by Diehl et al. and Urbanowicz et al. now reveal that this mutation is associated with higher infectivity to human cells, representing the clearest example of Ebola's functional adaptation to human hosts.
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. Electronic address: tbedford@fredhutch.org.
Trevor
T
Bedford
Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
Harmit S
HS
Malik
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000235:genetics; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation
D000596:Amino Acids; D006023:Glycoproteins