Family Filoviridae includes a set of etiological agents of human hemorrhagic fevers distributed in Africa: Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV), Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), Taï Forest ebolavirus (TAFV), Marburg marburgvirus (MMARV). Historiography and recent taxonomical structure of Filoviridae family are considered in the review. The discussed data of laboratory and ecological-virological field researches demonstrate the presence of a natural reservoir of filoviruses among fruit-bats (Chiroptera, Megachiroptera) which carry filovirus infection without clinical signs but allocate viruses with urine, saliva, excrements, and sperm, as well as contain viruses in blood and internals. The potential hosts of filoviruses are various mammal species including the higher primacies (Anthropoidea) and the humans (Homo sapiens sapiens). A brief comparison of anatomic and morphologic features of fruit bats and bats (Chiroptera, Microchiroptera) belonging to another suborder of chiropterans is presented. The description of the basic characteristics of the four types of epidemic outbreaks linked with Filoviridae-associated fevers — speleological (from Ancient Greek σπήλαιον — cave), forest, rural, and urban are given; their possible transformation directions are considered as well.
The review presents the following division of the African natural foci province into districts: I. Upper Guinea natural focus region includes the following individual natural foci: I.1. Kazamans; I.2. North Guinea; I.3. Volta; I.4. Adamawa; I.5. Sao Tome. II. Central Africa: II.1. Southern Guinea; II.2. Katanga; II.3. Congo; II.4. Azande; II.5. Ruwenzori. III. South-Eastern Africa: III.1. Mafungabusi; III.2. Drakensberg; III.3. Comoros; III.4. Madagascar; III.5. Seychelles; III.6. Mascarenes. For each natural focus the article describes the characteristic landscapes and species list of fruit-bats (Chiroptera, Megachiroptera) which are natural reservoir for viruses belonging to Filoviridae family, the types of epidemic outbreaks and the intensity of filovirus circulation. Possible explanations of narrowness of filoviruses areal in comparison with fruit-bats areal in Africa are discussed.
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