Ebolaviruses are enveloped, non-segmented, single-stranded, negative-sense ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses belonging to the family Filoviridae within the order Mononegavirales. Under updated viral taxonomy established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), the family Filoviridae includes several distinct genera, including Orthoebolavirus (ebolaviruses), Orthomarburgvirus (marburgviruses), and Cuevavirus
The genus Orthoebolavirus comprises six recognized species: Orthoebolavirus zairense (Ebola virus), Orthoebolavirus sudanense (Sudan virus), Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense (Bundibugyo virus), Orthoebolavirus taiense (Taï Forest virus), Orthoebolavirus restonense (Reston virus), and Orthoebolavirus bombaliense (Bombali virus. Four of these species—Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, and Taï Forest—are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and cause human Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Reston virus, identified in Asia in imported non-human primates and domestic swine in the Philippines, causes severe illness in animals but has not been shown to cause disease in humans, with exposed handlers demonstrating seroconversion without symptoms. Bombali virus, discovered in bats, has also not been linked to clinical human illness to date.
Ebolaviruses spread among humans through direct contact with blood, body fluids (such as vomit, diarrhea, sweat, or semen), contaminated fomites, and infected animal hosts. Strict infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively shield medical personnel from exposure; nevertheless, nosocomial transmission driven by breach of precautions or lack of adequate IPC infrastructure remains a frequent source of amplification during clinical outbreaks.
Last update: Tuesday, July 28, 2026
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