New transmission from animals likely caused Congo-Uganda Ebola outbreak, study says

DAKAR, Aug 11 - The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo concerns a previously unseen variant of the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, indicating it stemmed from a new transmission from animals to humans rather than from variants linked to earlier outbreaks, a new study said.

• Researchers from Congo, Uganda, Belgium and other countries analysed the genetic make-up of virus samples from 22 patients in Congo and Uganda and found the outbreak strain was genetically distinct from previous Bundibugyo Ebola viruses seen in outbreaks in 2007 and 2012.

• The findings, published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest the outbreak began with a fresh animal-to-human transmission event and was then spread between people.

• The study did not identify the animal source of the outbreak, but Ebola viruses are known to spill over periodically from infected animals to humans.

• The genetic analysis helped confirm that cases detected in Uganda were linked to the outbreak in Congo.

• The study's authors said wider access to testing and virus sequencing could help detect future Ebola outbreaks earlier and improve efforts to contain them.

• There is no approved vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo, although candidate vaccines and treatments are under development.

• The outbreak was declared on May 15 and has surpassed 2,000 deaths, with 4,381 confirmed cases so far, according to the latest government data. REUTERS