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Marburg virus (MARV) is one of the deadliest human zoonotic pathogens, historically traced back to Uganda, in East African-cave-dwelling Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), the probable cradle of MARV. Since its first identification in Germany and Serbia in 1967 due to laboratory contamination, MARV has caused 18 outbreaks in humans in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the latest in Tanzania in 2025 and 2023, Rwanda in 2024, and Equatorial Guinea in 2023. Efforts to control MARV through bat extermination in Sub-Saharan Africa have been ineffective, likely due to incomplete extermination and the recolonization of infected juvenile fruit bats. Over the past two decades, extensive molecular epidemiological research has generated over 70 complete MARV genomes, enabling detailed phylogenetic analysis, though bat-derived sequences are still rare. Phylogenetic analysis of Sub-Saharan African Marburgviruses from 1975 shows clustering with sequences from humans and bats, indicating that the virus reservoir species in these regions are not considerably distinct. This review aims to consolidate MARV comprehensive genomic data to provide a clearer picture of the current Marburg virus disease situation in Sub-Saharan Africa and, in turn, highlights the need for active genomic surveillance to identify hotspots and prevent future global outbreaks.
Edson Kinimi (Fri,) studied this question.