[Home] [ICTV Taxonomy - Index of Viruses] [Virus Descriptions] [Character List] [Picture Gallery]
[Tutorial] [Online Data Retrieval & Identification] [Virus Isolate Registration & Submission] [Search]
Descriptions are generated automatically from the ICTVdB database including links. Some descriptions are only very basic and links may point to documents that are not yet published on the Web.

01.025.0.02.001. Zaire ebolavirus

Cite this publication as: ICTVdB Management (2006). 01.025.0.02.001. Zaire ebolavirus. In: ICTVdB - The Universal Virus Database, version 4. Büchen-Osmond, C. (Ed), Columbia University, New York, USA

Cite this site as: ICTVdB - The Universal Virus Database, version 4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/

Table of Contents

Isolate Description

Location: Northern Zaire and Southern Sudan; Congo, Democratic Republic (Zaire) (and Sudan).

Host of Isolate and Habitat Details Virus was isolated from tissue; blood.

Biocontainment Level

Distribution of this virus falls under quarantine restrictions. It is recommended to handle this virus at the biocontainment level BSL-4.

Classification

This is a description of a vertebrate virus at the species level.

ICTVdB Virus Code: 01.025.0.02.001. Virus accession number: 25002001. Obsolete virus code: 25.0.1.0.004; superceded accession number: 25010004.
NCBI Taxon Identifier NCBI Taxonomy ID: 186538.

Name, Synonyms and Lineage

Alternative name: Ebola virus Zaire. ICTV approved acronym: ZEBOV. Acronym(s): EBOV-Z. Virus is the type of the genus Ebolavirus in the family 01.025. Filoviridae; order 01. Mononegavirales.

Virion Properties

Morphology

Virions consist of an envelope, a nucleocapsid, a polymerase complex, and a matrix protein. Virus capsid is enveloped. Virions are filamentous, or pleomorphic, flexible with extensive branching. U- or 6-shaped and circular forms occur particularly after purification. Virions measure about 80 nm in diameter; 970 nm in length (after purification). Surface projections are spaced widely apart distinctive knob-shaped peplomers that cover evenly the surface and are embedded in a lipid bilayer which is comprises surface glycoproteins (GP). Surface projections are composed of one type of protein, are 10 nm long and are spaced 10 nm apart. Capsid/nucleocapsid is elongated with helical symmetry. The nucleocapsid is helical, cross-striated and has a width of 50 nm. Axial canal is distinct; 20 nm in diameter. Basic helix is obvious. Pitch of helix is 5 nm.

Morphologically aberrant forms are observed (after centrifugation).

Physicochemical and Physical Properties

The molecular mass (Mr) of virions is 382 x 106. Virions have a buoyant density in CsCl of 1.32 g cm-3 (for nucleocapsids). The density of virions is 1.14 g cm-3 (in potassium tartrate gradient). The sedimentation coefficient is 1.4 S20w (for longer particles it is very high). The thermal inactivation point (TIP) is at about 60°C (after 30 min). Under in vitro conditions virions are relatively stable when stored at 15°C to 20°C; sensitivecanal is distinct; acid environment of pH 5 (hypochlorite, sensitivecanal is distinct; alkaline environment of pH 8 (quaternary ammonium salt). Virions are sensitive to treatment with lipid solvents, phenol (phenolic disinfectants), formaldehyde, and ß-propiolactone. The infectivity is reduced after exposure to irradiation (UV and gamma irradiation).

Nucleic Acid

The Mr of the genome constitutes 1.1% of the virion by weight. The genome is not segmented and contains a single molecule of linear negative-sense, single-stranded RNA. The complete genome is 18900 nucleotides long. The RNA is fully sequenced. Complete sequence is 18900 nucleotides long. Sequence has the accession number [J04337]. Nucleotide sequences at the 3'-terminus are complementary to similar regions on the 5' end. The 5'-end of the negative-sense strand does not have a covalently attached terminal protein; genome does not have cap. The 3'-terminus has conserved nucleotide sequences (leader, in genera of same family. The 3'-terminus has no poly (A) tract.

GenBank records for nucleotide sequences; complete genome sequences.

Proteins

The viral genome encodes structural proteins and non-structural proteins. Virions consist of 5 structural protein(s) located in the envelope (surface glycoprotein), nucleocapsid (NP), polymerase complex (transcriptase-polymerase component and RNA-dependent RNA transcriptase-polymerase), matrix.

Structural Proteins: Envelope protein GP has a molecular mass of 74500 Da. Envelope protein has a function assigned; is a glycoprotein and forming the viral spikes (in the form of trimers, during post-translational processing envelope protein modifications occur that include glycosylation (of the first small ORF yielding a soluble small glycoprotein sGP). Nucleocapsid protein NP; has a molecular mass of 83300 Da; is binding to the genomic RNA. Nucleocapsid protein VP30 has a molecular mass of 29700 Da. Matrix protein VP40; has a molecular mass of 35800 Da. Matrix protein is a transmembrane protein, or a membrane-associated protein. Matrix protein VP24; has a molecular mass of 28300 Da. Matrix protein is presumably transmembrane protein, or membrane-associated protein.

Lipids

Lipids are present and located in the envelope. The composition of viral lipids and host cell membranes are similar. The lipids are of host origin and are derived from plasma membranes.

Genome Organization and Replication

By itself, genomic nucleic acid is not infectious.

Biological Properties

Natural Host

Virus infects during its life cycle a single type of vertebrate host.
Domain
Viral hosts belong to the Domain Eucarya.

Domain Eucarya
Kingdom Animalia.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata.

Phylum Vertebrata
Subphylum Vertebrata; Class Mammalia.

Class Mammalia Order Primates;
Family Hominidae.
Virus infects Homo sapiens (human).

References

The following generic references are cited in the most recent ICTV Report.

PubMed References. .

Taxonomic Proposals and Changes

A taxonomic proposal has been submitted to the ICTV by the Vertebrate Virus Subcommittee, Study Group for Filoviridae at the meeting in San Diego, March 1998, Washington, DC, April 2001, and Paris, July 2002 to change the position of the taxon and change the name. The proposal has been approved at the meeting of the Executive Committee in San Diego, 1998 and Paris, 2002, the taxon has been removed from the Genus Filovirus and designated as Type Species in the genus Ebolavirus.



Limit search to: Title & Body Title Document Path
Show Reverse Sort

DELTA - DEscription Language for TAxonomy developed by Dr Mike Dallwitz, Toni Paine and Eric Zurcher, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, Australia. ICTVdB - The Universal Virus Database, developed for the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses by Dr Cornelia Büchen-Osmond is written in DELTA. The virus descriptions in ICTVdB are coded by, or using data from experts in the field of virology or members ICTV. The character list is the underlying code. All virus descriptions are based on the character list and natural language translations are automatically generated and formatted for display on the Web from the descriptions in DELTA-format. The description has been generated automatically from DELTA files. DELTA - DEscription Language for TAxonomy developed by Dr Mike Dallwitz, Toni Paine and Eric Zurcher, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, Australia.

ICTVdB - The Universal Virus Database, developed for the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) by Dr Cornelia Büchen-Osmond, is written in DELTA. The virus descriptions in ICTVdB are coded by ICTV members and experts, or by the ICTVdB Management using data provided by the experts, the literature or the latest ICTV Report. The character list is the underlying code. All virus descriptions are based on the character list and natural language translations from the encoded descriptions are automatically generated and formatted for display on the Web.

Developer of the DELTA software: M. J. Dallwitz, T. Paine and E. Zurcher

ICTVdB and DELTA related References

Comments to ICTVdB Management
Last updated on 25 April 2006 by Cornelia Büchen-Osmond
Copyright © 2002    International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.    All rights reserved.


Additional access points to virus species lists, descriptions and images on the web:

Species catalogue                     iSpecies.org - a species search engine           a species search engine

Google Analytics      Google Analytics: activity view