Characterization of Marburg virus morphology / 病毒学报

Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) belong to the family Filoviridae. Filoviruses cause severe filovirus hemorrhagic fever (FHF) in humans, with high case fatality rates, and represent potential agents for bioterrorism and biological weapons. It is necessary to keep surveillance of filoviruses, even though there is no report of their isolation and patients in China so far. To characterize MARV morphology, the Lake Victoria marburgvirus--Leiden was stained negatively and observed under a transmission electron microscope which is one of important detection methods for filoviruses in emergencies and bioterrorism. MARV showed pleomorphism, with filamentous, rod-shaped, cobra-like, spherical, and branch-shaped particles of uniform diameter but different lengths. Pleomorphism of negatively stained MARV is summarized in this article, so as to provide useful information for possible electron microscopic identification of filoviruses in China.

Emerging and reemerging zoonotic diseases

Zoonoses are disease and/or infection naturally transmissible between vertebrate animals and humans, Emerging zoonoses are defined by the WHO/FAO/OIE joint consultation on emerging zoonotic disease held in Geneva, 3-5 may 2004 as "diseases which are newly recognized are newly evolved or that have occurred previously but show an increase in incidence or expansion in geographical, host or vector range". The number of emerging zoonoses has increased dramatically over the lost few decades, with potentially serious human and economic impact worldwide. Many factors are behind the emergence of these zoonotic diseases. Intensive animal husbandry and changes in the production and distribution of food and other commodities, climatic and environmental charges, rapid transportation of human and animals, changes in life style and increased animal contacts are some of the factors that could introduce a new disease in a particular area. Viral infectious agents are more prone to mutation and sudden or gradual change and expansion to new geographical areas or hosts. In this article we briefly discuss some of the zoonotic diseases which may have potential health effects in Iran, such as avian influenza, West Nile viruses, Rift Valley fever, Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, Sars, and Ebola Morburg hemorrhagic disease