Letafati Arash, Fakhr Somayeh Sadat Hosseini, Najafabadi Ali Qaraee, Karami Negin, Karami Hassan
Department of Virology, Faculty of Public Health Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) Tehran Iran.
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences Tarbiat Modares University Tehran Iran.
Health Sci Rep. 2025 May 6;8(5):e70669. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70669. eCollection 2025 May.
Given the recent deadly outbreaks of the Marburg virus (MARV), in early 2023 in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, and the most recent one in Rwanda in 2024, there has been renewed attention across Africa on the threat posed by the re-emergence of MARV as a growing concern for public health. Therefore, it needs to provide a comprehensive overview of the virus and its related infections, encompassing virus classification, historical outbreaks, transmission dynamics, the intricate interface between the virus and its hosts, the methods of diagnosis, core prevention strategies, and current therapeutic options, to better understand the virus and the disease characteristics in responding to future outbreaks.
For this review, four scientific online databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science were thoroughly searched for peer-reviewed journal papers (original, case reports/series, and review studies) published in English language using the following keywords: Filovirus, Marburg virus, Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever, Marburg virus disease, and Marburg virus outbreak.
MARV shares similarities with its close cousin -the Ebola virus [EBOV]-in terms of viral characteristics and most clinical features. These two viruses are of animal origin and primarily spread to humans through infected bats (both direct and indirect close contact), which serve as the common natural host reservoirs. The potential for interhuman transmission, coupled with the ability to cross borders of endemic regions combined with the absence of a licensed vaccine and effective treatment, have made MARV a significant threat to human health. This virus is clinically characterized by a range of symptoms and organ dysfunctions. The disease is often fatal in a significant proportion of infected individuals. This viral infection is diagnosed by various diagnostic tools, prevented mainly through personal protective measures, and treated usually with clinical management and supportive care.
The outbreaks of MARV are continuously threaten public health; therefore, the world must be alert and well-prepared. For MVD, taking precautions along with investing in research and preparedness at regional, national, and global levels is of crucial importance and should be prioritized.
鉴于2023年初在坦桑尼亚和赤道几内亚爆发的致命马尔堡病毒（MARV）疫情，以及2024年在卢旺达爆发的最新疫情，非洲各地再次关注MARV重新出现所带来的威胁，这已成为公共卫生领域日益关注的问题。因此，有必要全面概述该病毒及其相关感染，包括病毒分类、历史疫情、传播动态、病毒与其宿主之间的复杂相互作用、诊断方法、核心预防策略和当前的治疗选择，以便更好地了解该病毒和疾病特征，从而应对未来的疫情爆发。
在本次综述中，通过使用以下关键词，对四个科学在线数据库，包括PubMed、谷歌学术、Scopus和科学网进行了全面搜索，以查找用英语发表的同行评审期刊论文（原创、病例报告/系列和综述研究）：丝状病毒、马尔堡病毒、马尔堡出血热、马尔堡病毒病和马尔堡病毒疫情。
MARV在病毒特征和大多数临床特征方面与其近亲——埃博拉病毒（EBOV）相似。这两种病毒均起源于动物，主要通过受感染的蝙蝠（直接和间接密切接触）传播给人类，蝙蝠是常见的自然宿主库。人际传播的可能性，加上跨越疫区边界的能力，再加上缺乏许可疫苗和有效治疗方法，使得MARV对人类健康构成重大威胁。这种病毒的临床特征是一系列症状和器官功能障碍。该疾病在很大一部分感染者中往往是致命的。这种病毒感染通过各种诊断工具进行诊断，主要通过个人防护措施进行预防，通常采用临床管理和支持性护理进行治疗。
MARV疫情不断威胁着公共卫生；因此，全世界必须保持警惕并做好充分准备。对于马尔堡病毒病，采取预防措施以及在区域、国家和全球层面投资于研究和准备工作至关重要，应予以优先考虑。
