Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever

Alternative names

Marburg disease; Marburg Virus; Marburg

Definition

Marburg hemorrhagic fever is a rare viral disease that occurs primarily in countries in East and Central Africa. The virus has the potential to spread from person to person, especially among health-care staff and family members who care for patient with Marburg VHF. After an incubation period of 5-10 days, the disease usually presents with sudden fever, chills, and muscle aches. Around the fifth day after onset of symptoms, a skin rash can occur. Nausea, vomiting, chest pain, a sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhea may follow. Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice, severe weight loss, mental confusion, shock, and multi-organ failure.

The Marburg virus, together with the four known Ebola viruses, makes up the virus family known as filoviruses. These viruses cause a rare type of serious illness known as hemorrhagic (bleeding) fever. Marburg hemorrhagic fever can occur in both humans and other primates.

Marburg virus is a member of the family of filoviruses. It behaves similarly to Ebola and is readily detectable in the blood and tissues of infected individuals. An early positive PCR test may confirm the diagnosis, but a negative, test does not refute it. IgM antibodies are detectable by ELISA within the first week of illness, and cell culture in VERO cells can be performed using blood, urine or fresh tissue samples.

What is the Marburg virus?

It is a severe and highly contagious form of haemorrhagic fever caused by a virus from the same family - the filoviruses - as Ebola, although it is not as deadly as its cousin.

Causes

Cause details for Marburg virus: As with Ebola virus, the actual animal host for Marburg virus also remains a mystery. Both of the men infected in 1980 in western Kenya had traveled extensively, including making a visit to a cave, in that region. The cave was investigated by placing sentinels animals inside to see if they would become infected, and by taking samples from numerous animals and arthropods trapped during the investigation. The investigation yielded no virus: The sentinel animals remained healthy and no virus isolations from the samples obtained have been reported.

Just how the animal host first transmits Marburg virus to humans is unknown. However, as with some other viruses which cause viral hemorrhagic fever, humans who become ill with Marburg hemorrhagic fever may spread the virus to other people. This may happen in several ways. Persons handling infected monkeys who come into direct contact with them or their fluids or cell cultures, have become infected. Spread of the virus between humans has occurred in a setting of close contact, often in a hospital. Droplets of body fluids, or direct contact with persons, equipment, or other objects contaminated with infectious blood or tissues are all highly suspect as sources of disease.