Marburg virus infection

Marburg virus infection is a notifiable condition. High-level isolation precautions must be used when infection is suspected. Highly infectious and transmissible person-to-person by contact with body fluids, contaminated objects, and corpses.

Endemic to East and Central Africa and associated with fruit bat, cave, and mining exposure, or close contact with infected persons in the last 21 days.

Most common presentation includes high fever and headache, often with gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea/vomiting). Signs of bleeding are rare and associated with late disease.

Diagnosis is made by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from blood or buccal (oral) swab, often by a reference laboratory. A positive test confirms current infection, but a negative test does not rule out infection until symptoms have been present for at least 72 hours.

There is no specific treatment; historical fatality rates have been as high as 90% and, based on recent experience with Ebola, may be improved with aggressive supportive care and fluid resuscitation.

A rare but severe, zoonotic infection caused by an RNA virus of the Filoviridae family (genus Marburgvirus). There are two strains of the virus, Marburg virus (MARV) and Ravn virus (RAVV). It is related to, but distinct from, Ebola virus infection. Marburg virus was discovered in 1967 after simultaneous outbreaks in several European laboratories, including one in Marburg, Germany.

Marburg virus infection is part of the group of conditions known as viral haemorrhagic fevers. Since Marburg virus infection presents with similar features to Ebola virus infection, and because there is more information published on Ebola virus infection, some general statements and conclusions on the best type of care for Marburg virus infection are based on current knowledge of Ebola.[1]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Marburg haemorrhagic fever fact sheet. December 2014 [internet publication]. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/marburg/pdf/factsheet.pdf [2]World Health Organization. Marburg haemorrhagic fever fact sheet. October 2017 [internet publication]. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs_marburg/en

Also known as Marburg virus disease and Marburg haemorrhagic fever.

BMJ talk medicine podcast: Marburg virus