The Ebola outbreak in the DRC is caused by a new variant of the Bundibugyo virus, presumably transmitted from an animal to a human, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine.
It is noted that Ebola outbreaks caused by the Bundibugyo virus occurred in 2007–2008 in Uganda and in 2012 in northeastern DRC. Scientists analyzed 22 virus genomes and found that the current variants form a distinct genetic group. The virus currently raging in Congo is unlike all the others. Scientists have found the origin of the Ebola virus in Congo: it was transmitted from an animal to a human.
“These data indicate an animal-to-human transmission event, rather than a resurgence of previous outbreaks caused by the persistence of older virus variants,” the study notes. However, experts were unable to determine the specific animal from which the human was infected.
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