Current Advances in Marburg Virus Disease

The Marburg virus (MARV), which causes hemorrhagic fever, is a member of the filovirus family. After the first documented case in 1967, which occurred at the same time in Germany and Serbia when laboratory workers who had been interacting with African green monkeys became infected, several more outbreaks took place in different parts of the world. Infections with MARV has been traced back to the Egyptian fruit bat, or Rousettus aegyptiacus , which is widely known to be a major reservoir of the virus. Visitors to bat-inhabited caverns or miners who enter bat-inhabited mines are at a higher risk of developing the disease. MARV has a variable incubation time between 2 weeks and 21 days. The virus has a potentially lethal case fatality rate of 24.0–88.0%, demonstrating the importance of broadly disseminating information about the virus. Notably, the only therapy option for MARV disease is supportive care. In addition, it is recommended that additional safety measures are taken whenever the patient or the biospecimens are being handled. Though intensive studies are being performed toward the development of a vaccine, it is crucial to educate healthcare personnel and close contacts who may be exposed to the illness. Determining the host of the virus and educating communities at high risk of exposure is, therefore, of the utmost significance. This chapter provides an overview of the MARV, a condensed synopsis of epidemiology, viral pathogenesis, clinical presentation, management, recent developments, and the advancements made to combat the MARV.