Marburg Virus

Definition

Definition of Marburg Virus
Marburg virus was first noticed and described during small epidemics in the German cities Marburg and Frankfurt and the Yugoslavian capital Belgrade. Workers were accidentally exposed to tissues of infected grivets (Chlorocebus aethiops) at the city's former main industrial plant, the Behringwerke, then part of Hoechst, and today of CSL Behring. During these outbreaks, 31 people became infected and seven of them died. Marburg virus (MARV) causes severe disease in humans and nonhuman primates in the form of viral hemorrhagic fever. MARV is a Select Agent, WHO Risk Group 4 Pathogen (requiring biosafety level 4-equivalent containment), NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogen, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category A Bioterrorism Agent, and is listed as a biological agent for export control by the Australia Group.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Marburg Virus
Many of the symptoms of Marburg haemorrhagic fever are similar to those of other infectious diseases, such as malaria or typhoid, but are most similar to those of Ebola strains.

Causes

Causes of Marburg Virus
The virus appears to be rare and only found in Africa where cases have occurred in Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Angola. In the natural habitat the reservoir of the virus is the Egyptian fruit bat, which is found in Africa, but how the virus jumps from animals to humans is not known. Some people have developed the disease after visiting caves where the bats are found.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Marburg Virus
Diagnosis of Marburg is similar to Ebola using the Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) test.

Treatment

Treatment of Marburg Virus
There is no specific antiviral therapy indicated for treating Marburg, and hospital care is usually supportive in nature. Hypotension and shock may require early administration of vasopressors and haemodynamic monitoring with attention to fluid and electrolyte balance, circulatory volume, and blood pressure. Viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) patients tend to respond poorly to fluid infusions and may develop pulmonary edema.

Prognosis

Prognosis of Marburg Virus
If a patient survives, recovery is usually prompt and complete, though it may be prolonged in some cases, with inflammation or secondary infection of various organs, including: orchitis (testicles), hepatitis (liver), transverse myelitis (spinal cord), uveitis (eyes), and parotitis (salivary glands).

Prevention

Prevention of Marburg Virus
Caregivers require barrier infection control measures including double gloves, impermeable gowns, face shields, eye protection, leg and shoe coverings.