Marburgvirus


The genus Marburgvirus is the taxonomic home of Marburg marburgvirus, whose members are the two known marburgviruses, Marburg virus and Ravn virus. Both viruses cause Marburg virus disease in humans and nonhuman primates, a form of viral hemorrhagic fever. Both are Select agents, World Health Organization Risk Group 4 Pathogens, National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogens, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category A Bioterrorism Agents, and are listed as Biological Agents for Export Control by the Australia Group.

Use of term

The genus Marburgvirus is a virological taxon included in the family Filoviridae, order Mononegavirales. The genus currently includes a single virus species, Marburg marburgvirus. The members of the genus are called marburgviruses. The name Marburgvirus is derived from the city of Marburg in Hesse, West Germany, and the taxonomic suffix -virus. Even though the virus was named after the city of Marburg, Dr. Ana Gligic, lead virologist at a laboratory in Belgrade, was first who managed to isolate the virus.

Previous designations

Until 1998, the family Filoviridae contained only one genus, Filovirus. Once it became clear that marburgviruses and ebolaviruses are fundamentally different, this genus was abolished and a genus "Marburg-like viruses" was established for marburgviruses. In 2002, the genus name was changed to Marburgvirus, and in 2010 and 2011 the genus was emended.

Genus inclusion criteria

A virus that fulfills the criteria for being a member of the family Filoviridae is a member of the genus Marburgvirus if
Table legend: "*" denotes type species.

Marburg marburgvirus

The species was introduced in 1998 as Marburg virus.
Because of easy confusion with its virus member Marburg virus, the species name was changed to Lake Viktoria marburgvirus in 2005.
In 2010, it was proposed to change the name to Marburg marburgvirus, and this proposal was accepted in early 2012 by the ICTV.
Marburg marburgvirus is a virological taxon included in the genus Marburgvir, family Filoviridae, order Mononegavirales. The species has two virus members, Marburg virus and Ravn virus. The members of the species are called Marburg marburgviruses. The name Marburg marburgvirus is derived from the city of Marburg in Hesse, West Germany and the taxonomic suffix marburgvirus.

Species inclusion criteria

A virus that fulfills the criteria for being a member of the genus Marburgvirus is a member of the species Marburg marburgvirus if it has the properties of marburgviruses and if its genome differs from that of Marburg virus by <30% at the nucleotide level.