Filoviruses are part of a virus family called Filoviridae and are the cause of severe hemorrhagic (internal bleeding) disease in humans and nonhuman primates.
Deeper dive
Three branches have filoviruses have been identified – Cuevavirus, Marburgvirus and Ebolavirus. Six species of Ebolavirus have been identified: Ebola, Sunda, Bundibugyo, Tai Forest, Reston and Bombali. Four of these are known to cause illness in people: Ebola, Sudan, Tai Forest, and Bundibugyo.
In January 2019, scientists from Singapore and China said they found a new branch of the Filoviridae family – called Mengla virus. The virus is zoonotic, meaning it is transmitted to humans from animals – most likely bats. The new Mengla virus was discovered in Asian bats. Once the virus is transmitted to people from an animal, the disease spreads between people through bodily fluids. The disease was first recognized in 1967, when German lab workers in Marburg were handling monkeys with the virus and got sick. Ebolavirus was identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in the northern Congo basin of Central Africa. Ebola has emerged sporadically in Africa since then, with the largest outbreak occurring from the end of 2013 through 2015 in West Africa.
While there is no known cure for filoviruses, a new vaccine for Ebola has demonstrated effectiveness during the sporadic Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo that have flared in the region since 2018.