Reston ebolavirus found in pigs

Reston ebolavirus, previously known to infect monkeys and humans, has turned up in pigs in the Philippines, researchers report in the July 10 issue of Science. Unlike other filoviruses, including Marburg and other Ebola species, Reston ebolavirus, or "REBOV," is not yet known to cause illness in humans, though its emergence in the human food chain "is of concern," write Roger W. Barrette and colleagues. It currently isn't clear whether REBOV could become as virulent in humans as other filoviruses, but the researchers say it is hypothetically possible that the virus could mutate in pigs and become more dangerous for humans. The team analyzed tissue samples from pigs in the Philippines with unusually severe respiratory infections and identified REBOV in animals also infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus. The REBOV strains found in the samples varied more from one another than they did from the original strain found in macaques, suggesting that REBOV has been circulating in pigs since, and possibly before, the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys. Some farm workers have also become infected, though they show no obvious symptoms of human disease, the authors report.

Article #15: "Discovery of Swine as a Host for the Reston ebolavirus," by R.W. Barrette; S.A. Metwally; J.M. Rowland; L. Xu; C. Carrillo; K.E. Moran; A.J. Bracht; G.A. Mayr; E.A. Lautner; W.R. White; M.T. McIntosh at United States Department of Agriculture, Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, NY; S.R. Zaki; S.T. Nichol; P.E. Rollin; J.S. Towner; W-J. Shieh; B. Batten; T.K. Sealy; T.G. Ksiazek at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA; M. Sirios-Cruz at Philippine Animal Health Center in Quezon City, Philippines; D.P. Catbagan at Burea of Animal Industry, Department of Agriculture in Quezon City, Philippines; T.G. Ksiazek at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.