Ebola outbreak: Scientists sequence virus genomes and find clues about origin and transmission of disease

An international team of researchers have sequenced and analysed more than 99 Ebola virus genomes in response to an ongoing, unprecedented outbreak of the disease in West Africa. The research, led by scientists at the Broad Institute and Harvard University, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, may give clues about the origin and transmission of the deadly virus. For the study, researchers sequenced 99 Ebola virus genomes collected from 78 patients diagnosed with the virus in Sierra Leone during the first 24 days of the outbreak. The team found more than 300 genetic changes that make the 2014 Ebola virus genomes distinct from those tied to previous Ebola outbreaks. They also found sequence variations indicating that, from the samples, the outbreak started from a single introduction into humans, subsequently spreading from person to person. Since it was first reported in Guinea in March 2014, 2,240 cases have been reported with...