How does Reston virus affect humans differently from Zaire Ebola virus?
The Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) and Reston ebolavirus (RESTV) differ significantly in their impact on human health.
Zaire ebolavirus is the deadliest species of the ebolavirus genus, causing Ebola virus disease (EVD) with a high case fatality rate ranging from 40 to 90 percent. It is characterized by severe symptoms, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and extensive internal and external hemorrhaging, which often lead to death.12
In contrast, while Reston virus (RESTV) can infect humans, it does not appear to cause death in them. RESTV was first identified in 1989 in laboratory macaques imported to the United States from the Philippines. Although the virus is highly pathogenic in nonhuman primates, it is distinguished from the Zaire species by its lack of lethality in human cases.231