BACKGROUND: Ebolaviruses causes a severe and often fatal @entity7593 in @entity1 , with some species such as Ebola virus having case fatality rates approaching 90%. Currently the worst Ebola virus outbreak since the disease was discovered is occurring in West Africa. Although thought to be a @entity2927 , a concern is that with increasing numbers of @entity1 being @entity2598 variants could be selected which are better adapted for @entity1 -to- @entity1 transmission. RESULTS: To investigate whether genetic changes in Ebola virus become established in response to adaptation in a different host, a @entity840 model of @entity281 was used. In this experimental system, @entity840 were @entity2598 (EBOV), which initially did not cause disease. To simulate transmission to uninfected individuals, the virus was serially passaged five times in naive animals. As the virus was passaged, virulence increased and clinical effects were observed in the @entity840 . An RNAseq and consensus mapping approach was then used to evaluate potential @entity4334 changes in the Ebola virus genome at each passage. CONCLUSIONS: Upon passage in the @entity840 model, EBOV become more virulent, RNA editing and also coding changes in key proteins become established. The data suggest that the initial evolutionary trajectory of EBOV in a new host can lead to a gain in virulence. Given the circumstances of the sustained transmission of EBOV in the current outbreak in West Africa, increases in virulence may be associated with prolonged and uncontrolled epidemics of EBOV.

Elucidating variations in the XXXX sequence of Ebola virus associated with increasing pathogenicity.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['humans', 'human'] @entity2598 :: ('MESH:D019142', 'Disease') :: ['infected with Ebola virus', 'infected, Ebola virus'] @entity7593 :: ('MESH:D006478', 'Disease') :: ['hemorrhagic fever'] @entity840 :: ('10141', 'Species') :: ['guinea pigs', 'guinea pig'] @entity2927 :: ('MESH:D015047', 'Disease') :: ['zoonotic infection'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['infection'] @entity4334 :: ('D009711', 'Chemical') :: ['nucleotide']
@entity4334 :: (D009711,Chemical) :: ['nucleotide']
