New study provides the first comprehensive overview of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus

Little is yet known about the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. Prior to the current outbreak, the virus had only been detected on two previous occasions, leaving doctors and researchers with limited clinical and epidemiological data. The new MBOTE-BDBV study by the Congolese Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, in collaboration with international partners, aims to change that.

There is still very little clinical and epidemiological data available on the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, largely because most previous Ebola outbreaks have been caused by the Zaire Ebola virus. Clinical data show which symptoms patients develop, how severe these are and how their condition progresses. Epidemiological data help researchers understand who becomes infected, where and when this happens, and how the virus spreads.

From the first test

To obtain as complete a picture as possible, the study team follows patients as soon as they present at a treatment centre with suspicious symptoms. There, they are tested for the virus twice. This is an observational study, the researchers therefore do not determine which treatment a patient receives. Participants will receive standard care or one of the treatments being tested in the PARTNERS study, whilst the study team carefully records their symptoms, test results and the course of their illness.

By monitoring patients from the onset, the researchers can investigate how the disease progresses, which organs are affected during different stages of the disease, and which characteristics indicate a higher risk of complications.

Knowledge that can already help doctors

The MBOTE-BDBV study is a long-term one, but the information gathered may already be useful during the current outbreak. A better understanding of the initial symptoms and the course of the disease helps doctors recognise the disease more quickly and identify high-risk patients at an earlier stage.

In the longer term, the results may contribute to improved diagnostics and patient care. They may also help researchers to better determine which biological characteristics are associated with a severe course of the disease and what the long-term consequences of an infection are.

In parallel with the PARTNERS study

Whilst MBOTE-BDBV observes the course of the disease and the body’s response, PARTNERS is investigating whether two potential treatments can improve patients’ chances of survival. In this way, the two studies complement each other: one helps to better understand the virus and the disease, while the other seeks effective treatment.

International collaboration

The study is led by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM). The treatment centres are managed by the medical aid organisation ALIMA. The Institut National de Santé Publique, Africa CDC, the University of Oxford and the World Health Organisation are also collaborating on the research.

The study is made possible thanks to support from the Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD).