Postmortem Stability of Ebola Virus - Volume 21, Number 5—May 2015 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal - CDC

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Postmortem Stability of Ebola Virus - Volume 21, Number 5—May 2015 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal - CDC

Volume 21, Number 5—May 2015

Dispatch

Postmortem Stability of Ebola Virus

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• The Study
• Conclusions
• Suggested Citation

Figures

• Figure 1
• Figure 2

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Joseph Prescott, Trenton Bushmaker, Robert Fischer, Kerri Miazgowicz, Seth Judson, and Vincent J. Munster 

Author affiliations: National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract

The ongoing Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has highlighted questions regarding stability of the virus and detection of RNA from corpses. We used Ebola virus–infected macaques to model humans who died of Ebola virus disease. Viable virus was isolated <7 days posteuthanasia; viral RNA was detectable for 10 weeks.

The ongoing outbreak of Ebola virus (EBOV) infection in West Africa highlights several questions, including fundamental questions surrounding human-to-human transmission and stability of the virus. More than 20,000 cases of EBOV disease (EVD) have been reported, and >8,000 deaths have been documented (1). Human-to-human transmission is the principal feature in EBOV outbreaks; virus is transmitted from symptomatic persons or contaminated corpses or by contact with objects acting as fomites (2). Contact with corpses during mourning and funeral practices, which can include bathing the body and rinsing family members with the water, or during the removal and transportation of bodies by burial teams has resulted in numerous infections (3).

Assessing the stability of corpse-associated virus and determining the most efficient sampling methods for diagnostics will clarify the safest practices for handling bodies and the best methods for determining whether a person has died of EVD and presents a risk for transmission. To facilitate diagnostic efforts, we studied nonhuman primates who died of EVD to examine stability of the virus within tissues and on body surfaces to determine the potential for transmission, and the presence of viral RNA associated with corpses.

Dr. Prescott is a research fellow in the Virus Ecology Unit at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana. He is currently involved in the Ebola virus outbreak at the combined Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institutes of Health diagnostic laboratory, Monrovia, Liberia. His research interests include the immune response, transmission, and modeling of viral hemorrhagic fevers.

Acknowledgments

We thank Darryl Falzarano and Andrea Marzi for use of animal carcasses upon completion of their studies and Anita Mora for providing assistance with graphics.

This study was supported by the Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.

References

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Figures

• Figure 1. Presence and stability of Ebola virus RNA in deceased cynomolgus macaques. Swab (A) and tissue (B) specimen samples were obtained at the indicated time points, and viral RNA was...
• Figure 2. Efficiency of Ebola virus isolation from deceased cynomolgus macaques. Swab (A) and tissue (B) specimen samples were obtained at the indicated time points, and virus isolation was attempted on...

Suggested citation for this article: Prescott J, Bushmaker T, Fischer R, Miazgowicz K, Judson S, Munster VJ. Postmortem stability of Ebola virus. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 May [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2105.150041

DOI: 10.3201/eid2105.150041