It may produce only a hint, not an answer. The scientists would then have to look for what bites the shrews or infects them in some other way. It may not even provide a hint. Work on Ebola virus and other deadly pathogens is performed in laboratories that contain four zones with progressively lower air pressure. The system prevents the outward flow of air, which might carry microbes.
Air is filtered twice before being vented to the outside environment.
The recent Ebola hemorrhagic fever epidemic in Zaire peaked in early May in the city of Kikwit. Epidemiologists now know the first case occurred in early January, outside the city. Ebola virus is a member of the filovirus family, so-named because it is shaped like a filament. It has been found in Africa and the Philippines. The Filipino strain does not appear to cause disease in humans although, like at least one of the African strains, it is often fatal to monkeys.