ABOVE: Colored transmission electron micrograph of an ebolavirus virion, a member of the same family as the newly discovered virus
WIKIMEDIA, CDC/CYNTHIA GOLDSMITH
Researchers have discovered a new species of Ebola in bats in Sierra Leone, the country’s government announced last week (July 26). Named “Bombali” after the region in which it was found, the virus has not yet been identified in humans, but could still pose a health risk.
“At this time, it is not yet known if the Bombali Ebola virus has been transmitted to people or if it causes disease in people,” Amara Jambai, a senior ministry of health official, tells AFP. “But it has the potential to infect human cells.”
The research, which was carried out by scientists at Columbia University, the University of California, Davis (UCD), and nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, has not yet been published. The government of Sierra Leone decided to announce the team’s findings ...
