Marburg virus

Marburgvirus is a genus of viruses in the family Filoviridae, known for causing severe disease in humans and other primates. The primary species, Marburg marburgvirus, is responsible for Marburg virus disease (MVD), a zoonotic illness characterized by high fever, malaise, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and hemorrhage. Case fatality rates for MVD have been as high as 80 to 90 percent.1

The virus was first isolated in 1967 following an outbreak among laboratory workers in Germany and Yugoslavia who were producing polio vaccine using kidney cell cultures from African monkeys imported from Uganda. The virus was named after the city of Marburg, Germany. Marburgviruses are similar in pathology to Ebola virus disease, caused by closely related viruses in the genus Ebolavirus. Filoviruses, including Marburgvirus, are primarily found in central and eastern Africa, with Egyptian fruit bats suspected as a reservoir.12