Where does the name Marburg virus come from?

The name Marburg virus comes from the German city of Marburg, where the virus was first identified in 1967.

The Marburg virus belongs to the filovirus family, which also includes the related Ebola virus. The Marburg outbreak was caused by laboratory workers coming into contact with tissues from green monkeys (African rhesus monkeys) imported from Uganda for research.

The first outbreak occurred in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and in Belgrade, then part of Yugoslavia. Several laboratory workers and medical personnel became ill after handling infected monkey organs, leading to a small but deadly epidemic. Due to the location of this first outbreak, the virus was named after the city of Marburg.

The Marburg virus causes a severe form of viral hemorrhagic fever, similar to Ebola, and has a high mortality rate.

Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/marburg-virus-disease

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2024-10-05 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2024