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Order Mononegavirales
Published in Paul Pumpens, Peter Pushko, Philippe Le Mercier, Virus-Like Particles, 2022
Paul Pumpens, Peter Pushko, Philippe Le Mercier
The Filoviridae family contains variously shaped, often filamentous viruses (shown in Figure 31.1b) and consists of 6 genera with 11 species (Kuhn et al. 2019). Several filovirus representatives, such as various variants of EBOV of the genus Ebolavirus and Marburg virus (MARV) of the genus Marburgvirus, are pathogenic for humans and highly virulent. The natural hosts for filoviruses could be bats, as for Ebola- and Marburgviruses, whereas others may infect fish.
Ecology
Published in Paul Pumpens, Single-Stranded RNA Phages, 2020
After the 2014 West African Ebola virus disease outbreak, new challenges were posed for disinfection of personal protective equipment. Thus, a large number of glove and gown removal simulations were performed and fixated by the correlation between contamination of skin with fluorescent lotion and the phage MS2 (Tomas et al. 2015b). Then, an enclosed UV-C light booth was fabricated for disinfection of the contaminated personal protective equipment prior to removal and tested with the phage MS2 as an efficiency indicator (Tomas et al. 2015a). An extensive review of the personal protective equipment control in an Ebola outbreak (Fischer et al. 2015) substantiated the use of MS2 as a conservative surrogate, although filoviruses were huge enveloped single-stranded RNA viruses, and acknowledged its appropriateness to ensure the healthcare provider's safety.
Classification of Hemorrhagic Fevers
Published in James H. S. Gear, CRC Handbook of Viral and Rickettsial Hemorrhagic Fevers, 2019
The name Filoviridae has been suggested to include the genus Filovirus of which the type species is the Marburg virus and the other member is Ebola virus.4 Another proposal is that both these viruses be included in the rhabdovirus group. However, it has been noted that the major features which distinguish these viruses from the rhabdoviruses are the particle length, the unique proteins and a central axial channel of diameter significantly smaller than that of the rhabdoviruses. The classification is still under review.
The discovery and development of novel treatment strategies for filoviruses
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2022
The unprecedented exponential growth of scientific knowledge during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 outbreak should be harvested and applied to other viral infections, including filoviruses. The use of monoclonal antibodies to prevent severe disease, the improvements in lipid particles for in vivo delivery, rapid identification of escape mutants via next-generation sequencing, and assessment of immunity should be cross-applied to improve filovirus therapeutic research. The importance of early administration of monoclonal antibodies for preventing disease progression in SARS-CoV-2 highlighted the importance of early detection and treatment. Although not directly related to therapeutics, improved rapid diagnostics for filovirus infections could identify infection prior to severe disease and improve the chances of successful therapeutic intervention.
Defibrotide: potential for treating endothelial dysfunction related to viral and post-infectious syndromes
Published in Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets, 2021
Edward Richardson, David García-Bernal, Eleonora Calabretta, Rubén Jara, Marta Palomo, Rebecca M. Baron, Gregory Yanik, Jawed Fareed, Israel Vlodavsky, Massimo Iacobelli, Maribel Díaz-Ricart, Paul G. Richardson, Carmelo Carlo-Stella, Jose M. Moraleda
Viral hemorrhagic fevers are caused by four families of RNA viruses: arenaviruses, bunyaviruses, filoviruses, and flaviviruses. These viruses have diverse pathogenic mechanisms, resulting in varying disease severity and presentation [62]. The Ebola virus, a filovirus, accounts for few infections annually but stands among the most lethal viruses known, with reported fatality rates ranging from 24% to 100% in different outbreaks [63]. Dengue virus, a flavivirus, accounts for an estimated 390 million infections per year, of which only 96 million manifests with disease symptoms [64]. Hantavirus, a bunyavirus, manifests itself as two hemorrhagic febrile diseases: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) [65]. While these diseases differ in severity, incidence, and presentation, their severe manifestations share features of vascular instability, hemorrhage, and cytokine storm [62]. These viruses are noteworthy, furthermore, for their interaction with ECs, such as Ebola virus, dengue virus, and Hantavirus each directly infect ECs in the course of disease pathogenesis [66–68].
Targeting Ebola virus replication through pharmaceutical intervention
Published in Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, 2021
Frederick Hansen, Heinz Feldmann, Michael A Jarvis
Over the next years, the field needs to prioritize refinement of current promising approaches and move them through clinical trials for licensure application. Those drugs (or combinations thereof) then need to be produced to sufficient quantities and properly stored for immediate and uncomplicated release and administration. With lower priority, second-generation drug development programs should continue as needed and funding allows. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that preemption is by far less costly in lives and resources than reaction with poor preparation. Finally, early and rapid diagnosis in combination with immediate isolation of cases and thorough contact tracing cannot be replaced by any therapeutic intervention. These public health measures are a necessary prerequisite for any successful therapeutic intervention strategy in future filovirus outbreaks.