Augustine Goba of Kenema Government Hospital diagnosed the first case of Ebola in Sierra Leone.STEPHEN GIRE
An international team led by investigators at Harvard University has sequenced 99 Ebola virus genomes isolated from the blood of 78 patients in Sierra Leone—one of four countries at the center of the largest-ever Ebola outbreak. Within these sequences, which were each made public within a matter of days post-assembly, the researchers found evidence of the rapid accumulation of mutations affecting biologically meaningful targets, which could have implications for the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapies. The team’s analysis of all 99 genomes was published today (August 28) in Science.
“This analysis will provide the backbone for tracking the virus as it spreads, and to see if future outbreaks outside of these countries are connected both epidemiologically and genetically,” emerging infectious diseases researcher Matthew Frieman ...
