Ebola epidemic in DRC has Bundibugyo virus without animal reservoir identified by scientists
The scientific community remains unable to reveal which animal species serves as a natural reservoir for the Bundibugyo virus. Although the pathogen is known to periodically jump to humans, its source of origin in nature remains an enigma to researchers.
Candidate hosts for the Ebola virus, including Bundibugyo, include animals such as fruit bats, African buffalo, sitatungas and Angolan free-tailed bats. These are considered possible refuges for these viruses to remain.
Since April, the Democratic Republic of Congo has faced an Ebola outbreak that has reached 1,114 confirmed cases and resulted in 279 deaths. This is already the third largest epidemic of the disease since its discovery five decades ago.
Even with the alarming scale, this wave of infections is marked by many unknowns. The origins of the virus, in particular, remain unclear.
The causative agent is the Bundibugyo virus, a less familiar pathogen and one of three viral variants capable of triggering Ebola disease. Scientists’ main hypothesis is that it resides in animal populations, occasionally transmitting to humans and generating outbreaks.
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However, even after extensive investigations lasting years, researchers have not been successful in locating the hiding place of the virus when it is not active in human hosts. “We have absolutely nothing on Bundibugyo,” said Mekala Sundaram, an ecologist at the University of Georgia, highlighting the complexity of the search for answers.
The lack of knowledge about the Bundibugyo reservoir exposes humanity to significant risks. Understanding where the pathogen hides is essential for preventing future epidemics, as the virus has the potential for new occurrences. This need for identification also extends to other Ebola virus variants and related pathogens that have not yet infected humans.
Ebola disease was initially recognized in 1976, with two simultaneous fatal outbreaks: one in what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the other in what is now South Sudan. In both cases, the symptoms manifested themselves in a similar way, including high fevers, severe vomiting, internal and external bleeding, and, in most victims, a fatal outcome.
