A bibliometric study on Marburg virus research with prevention and control strategies

Abstract

Marburg virus (MARV) is a pathogenic zoonotic RNA virus etiologic for Marburg virus disease (MVD), a severe hemorrhagic fever. This is a rare disease, with a high fatality rate, that spreads via infected blood or body fluids or indirectly via fomites (contaminated objects and substances such as clothed, beds, personal protective equipment, or medical equipments). A few vaccines to protect against MARV are undergoing clinical trials, but there is not yet an approved vaccine against this disease. Eventually, prevention and control guidelines should be adhered to rigorously to alleviate this infection. This bibliometric analysis aimed to harness narrative evaluation, emphasizing the significance of quantitative approaches and delineating the most thought-provoking concerns for researchers using VOSviewer software (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands). “Marburg Virus” OR “MARV” AND “Diseases” search criteria were used for the analysis of articles published between 1962 and 2022. Co-occurrence analysis was carried out, which characterized different thematic clusters. From this analysis, we found that 1688 published articles, and the number of publications increased across that period annually, with a growth rate of 8.78%. It is also conspicuous that the number of publications in the United States reached its acme during this period (i.e., 714 publications, accounting for 42.29% of the total), and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases published the most literature (i.e., 146 papers). Our study found that the three pre-eminent authors of Marburg virus papers were “FELDMANN, HEINZ“ of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, United States, “BECKER, STEPHAN” of the Philipps University of Marburg, Germany, and “GEISBERT, THOMAS W” of the University of Texas Medical Branch, United States. In this study we found that “JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY” has published the most pertinent literature, totaling 88 articles, followed by “The journal of Infectious Diseases”, which published 76 relevant papers, and “VIRUSES”, which published 52 corresponding papers. The most cited paper on the Marburg virus was published in Nature Medicine, with 522 total citations and 29 citations/year. Studies of the changing epidemiology and evolving nature of the virus and its ecological niche are required; breakthrough and implementation of the efficacious vaccine candidate(s), prophylaxis and therapeutic alternatives and supervision strategies, unveiling awareness-raising programs, and developing apposite and timely preparedness, prevention, and proactive control strategies are of utmost importance.

Variant-specific deleterious mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome reveal immune responses and potentials for prophylactic vaccine development

“…The antigenic region refers to the epitope that is most likely to bind to B cells whereas the non-antigenic region shows lower or no affinity to bind to B cells. Each mutation sequence was derived using Python script, which is available from GitHub on request ( Islam et al, 2022e ; Islam et al, 2023 ). Based on the antigen propensity score collected from the tool, linear B cell epitope area graphs of wild sequences were constructed using ggplot2 (version 3.3.5), ggh4x (version 0.1.2.1.9), and cowplot (version 1.1.1) in the R statistical environment (version 3.6.1).…”

Emergence of Marburg virus: a global perspective on fatal outbreaks and clinical challenges

“…The Marburg virus (MV) exhibits an enveloped and pleomorphic structure, displaying uniform diameter but variable length filamentous, non-segmented, rod-like, cobra-like, circular/annular, and branched particles ( Chakraborty et al, 2022 ; Islam et al, 2023a ). Its viral genome encompasses seven open reading frames (ORFs), namely nucleoprotein (NP), virion protein 35 (VP35), VP40, VP30, VP24, glycoprotein (GP), and large viral polymerase, all characterized as single-stranded negative-sense RNA (-ssRNA; Zhao et al, 2022 ).…”

“…In terms of intervention, the development of effective vaccines, antivirals, and other therapeutic approaches, alongside appropriate mitigation strategies, emerges as paramount. This priority is affirmed by a bibliometric study published in Frontiers in Tropical Diseases ( Islam et al, 2023a ). Collectively, these strategies constitute a comprehensive framework for mitigating and controlling MV outbreaks.…”

The Outbreak of Marburg Virus in Tanzania: An Emerging Global Health Threat

“…Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a rare zoonotic disease caused by the Filoviridae family, like Ebola, that leads to severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and requires assessment under International Health Regulations. It is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials, with symptoms appearing within 5 to 10 days, including fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding including multiple organ failure [1,2,3]. Case fatality rates range from 24% to 90% depending on the virus strain and quality of medical services [4,5], and no specific treatment or vaccine is currently available [5,6].…”