Temporal and spatial analysis of the 2014-2015 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa
Authors
Carroll, Miles WMatthews, David A
Hiscox, Julian A
Elmore, Michael J
Pollakis, Georgios
Rambaut, Andrew
Hewson, Roger
García-Dorival, Isabel
Bore, Joseph Akoi
Koundouno, Raymond
Abdellati, Saïd
Afrough, Babak
Aiyepada, John
Akhilomen, Patience
Asogun, Danny
Atkinson, Barry
Badusche, Marlis
Bah, Amadou
Bate, Simon
Baumann, Jan
Becker, Dirk
Becker-Ziaja, Beate
Bocquin, Anne
Borremans, Benny
Bosworth, Andrew
Boettcher, Jan Peter
Cannas, Angela
Carletti, Fabrizio
Castilletti, Concetta
Clark, Simon
Colavita, Francesca
Diederich, Sandra
Donatus, Adomeh
Duraffour, Sophie
Ehichioya, Deborah
Ellerbrok, Heinz
Fenandez-Garcia, Maria Dolores
Fizet, Alexandra
Fleischmann, Erna
Gryseels, Sophie
Hermelink, Antje
Hinzmann, Julia
Hopf-Guevara, Ute
Ighodalo, Yemisi
Jameson, Lisa
Kelterbaum, Anne
Kis, Zoltan
Kloth, Stefan
Kohl, Claudia
Korva, Miša
Kraus, Annette
Kuisma, Eeva
Kurth, Andreas
Liedigk, Britta
Logue, Christopher H
Lüdtke, Anja
Maes, Piet
McCowen, James
Mély, Stéphane
Mertens, Marc
Meschi, Silvia
Meyer, Benjamin
Michel, Janine
Molkenthin, Peter
Muñoz-Fontela, César
Muth, Doreen
Newman, Edmund N C
Ngabo, Didier
Oestereich, Lisa
Okosun, Jennifer
Olokor, Thomas
Omiunu, Racheal
Omomoh, Emmanuel
Pallasch, Elisa
Pályi, Bernadett
Portmann, Jasmine
Pottage, Thomas
Pratt, Catherine
Priesnitz, Simone
Quartu, Serena
Rappe, Julie
Repits, Johanna
Richter, Martin
Rudolf, Martin
Sachse, Andreas
Schmidt, Kristina Maria
Schudt, Gordian
Strecker, Thomas
Thom, Ruth
Thomas, Stephen
Tobin, Ekaete
Tolley, Howard
Trautner, Jochen
Vermoesen, Tine
Vitoriano, Inês
Wagner, Matthias
Wolff, Svenja
Yue, Constanze
Capobianchi, Maria Rosaria
Kretschmer, Birte
Hall, Yper
Kenny, John G
Rickett, Natasha Y
Dudas, Gytis
Coltart, Cordelia E M
Kerber, Romy
Steer, Damien
Wright, Callum
Senyah, Francis
Keita, Sakoba
Drury, Patrick
Diallo, Boubacar
de Clerck, Hilde
Van Herp, Michel
Sprecher, Armand
Traore, Alexis
Diakite, Mandiou
Konde, Mandy Kader
Koivogui, Lamine
Magassouba, N'Faly
Avšič-Županc, Tatjana
Nitsche, Andreas
Strasser, Marc
Ippolito, Giuseppe
Becker, Stephan
Stoecker, Kilian
Gabriel, Martin
Raoul, Hervé
Di Caro, Antonino
Wölfel, Roman
Formenty, Pierre
Günther, Stephan
Issue Date
2015-06-17
Metadata
Show full item recordJournal
NatureAbstract
West Africa is currently witnessing the most extensive Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak so far recorded. Until now, there have been 27,013 reported cases and 11,134 deaths. The origin of the virus is thought to have been a zoonotic transmission from a bat to a twoyear-old boy in December 2013 (ref. 2). From this index case the virus was spread by human-to-human contact throughout Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. However, the origin of the particular virus in each country and time of transmission is not known and currently relies on epidemiological analysis, which may be unreliable owing to the difficulties of obtaining patient information. Here we trace the genetic evolution of EBOV in the current outbreak that has resulted in multiple lineages. Deep sequencing of 179 patient samples processed by the European Mobile Laboratory, the first diagnostics unit to be deployed to the epicentre of the outbreak in Guinea, reveals an epidemiological and evolutionary history of the epidemic from March 2014 to January 2015. Analysis of EBOV genome evolution has also benefited from a similar sequencing effort of patient samples from Sierra Leone. Our results confirm that the EBOV from Guinea moved into Sierra Leone, most likely in April or early May. The viruses of the Guinea/Sierra Leone lineage mixed around June/July 2014. Viral sequences covering August, September and October 2014 indicate that this lineage evolved independently within Guinea. These data can be used in conjunction with epidemiological information to test retrospectively the effectiveness of control measures, and provides an unprecedented window into the evolution of an ongoing viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak.Publisher
MacmillanPubMed ID
26083749Language
enISSN
1476-4687ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1038/nature14594