What Is a Filovirus?

Filavirus (scientific name: Filovirus) belongs to the family Filaviridae, a single-stranded anti-strand RNA virus order, is a virus that infects vertebrates, and is currently known as Ebola virus, Marburg virus, and Kuwa virus. Virion has a complex structure with envelopes, nucleocapsids, polymerase complexes, and matrices. Viral particles are enveloped in the envelope. The shape of the virus is filamentous, or branched polymorphic, or U-shaped, 6-shaped, or round (especially after purification). The diameter of the virus is about 80nm and can reach 1400nm in length. The length of the purified virus may reach 790- 970 nm. The shape of nodules on the surface is scattered in the lipid bilayer membrane.

Filamentous virus

There is only one genus of the family Filoviridae,

According to early morphological observations, Marburg virus was classified as Rhabdoviridae, although this type of virus is different from Rhabdovirus in terms of particle length, structure, and protein peptides. Further morphological and morphogenetic, physicochemical, and molecular biological studies have shown that Marburg and Ebola viruses have unique characteristics. At the meeting of "Virinology and Class IV Pathogens" in 1979, it was suggested to set up the Filaviridae. In 1982, the International Virus Classification Committee officially recognized the above classification and became an independent Filaviridae. ^[1]

(1) Both viruses are highly infectious and are extremely harmful to humans. The actual operation is also required to be performed in a P4 laboratory;

(2) These two viruses can cause serious infections in monkeys, affecting the development of the monkey breeding industry and the health of experimental monkeys;

(3) Due to its unique biological properties and pathogenicity, this type of virus may be used as a biological warfare agent. The World Health Organization also lists it as one of the potential biological warfare agents, which should cause people to prevent it.