Ebola Virus is Rapidly Mutating, Experts Warns

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LequteMan

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A team of researchers led by the Broad Institute in Massachusetts and Harvard University, claim that the #Ebola virus disease (EVD) is rapidly and continually mutating, making it harder to diagnose and treat.

An analysis of more than 99 Ebola virus genomes collected from 78 patients diagnosed with Ebola in Sierra Leona in the first 24 days of the outbreak revealed almost 400 genetic modifications, making virus genomes from the current outbreak distinct from the viral genomes tied to previous Ebola outbreaks.

They also according to Daily Mail found variations in the genome sequence indicating that, from the samples analysed, the outbreak started from a single introduction into humans, subsequently spreading from person to person over many months.

And it could be detrimental not only to current treatments, but also to future vaccines that are in the works.

Their findings, reported in the journal Science, could have important implications for rapid field diagnostic tests.

To accelerate response efforts, the research team released the full-length sequences on the National Center for Biotechnology Information's (NCBI's) DNA sequence database, in advance of publication.
 

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