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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2004;291:813.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

A series of outbreaks of Ebola virus infection in central Africa appears to be the result of separate introductions of the pathogen from different animal sources involving several different viral strains, according to a study by researchers from the Institute of Research and Development in Franceville, Gabon, and other institutions (Science. 2004;303:387-390). The findings suggest that the human outbreaks were touched off when hunters handled corpses of infected animals.

Ebola virus infection may be spread when hunters and others handle the remains of infected gorillas and other animals. (Photo credit: Pierre Rouquet)

The researchers and local villagers noted an unusually large number of chimp, gorilla, and antelope carcasses in nearby areas before and during human Ebola outbreaks in Gabon in 2001. Tests of the remains showed most were positive for the virus.

In addition, a genetic analysis of available infected human samples from the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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