56 Years of the Marburg Virus—A Review of Therapeutics

Abstract

Background: The Marburg virus (MARV) is the causative agent of Marburg virus disease (MVD). This filovirus first appeared in 1967 and has since caused several outbreaks with case fatality rates between 23% and 90%. The earliest cases of MVD are thought to be caused by exposure to an infected animal, either a reservoir host (some bat species, e.g., Rousettus aegyptiacus ) or a spill-over host, such as non-human primates. The virus is spread between people by direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids (including saliva, sweat, faeces, urine, tears, and breast milk) from infected individuals. Despite the high fatality rate, the Marburg virus has no vaccine or drug treatment. Recent outbreaks of the virus in 2023 in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea have reignited the need to develop effective therapeutics, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: This review seeks to highlight the drug discovery efforts aimed at developing vaccines or possible treatments as potential therapeutics. Several existing antiviral agents are being probed, and vaccines are in pre-clinical and clinical stages. Natural products are also an important source of possible drugs or lead compounds and when coupled with computational techniques, these strategies offer possible therapeutics for the Marburg virus, especially in Africa, which has a high disease burden. Methods: Using the search engines Google Scholar and PubMed; keywords e.g. Marburg virus, Marburg treatments, Marburg virus drug discovery were utilized. Several results were yielded, and articles published in recent years were accepted into the final list. Results and Conclusion: This study shows there is a growing interest in therapeutics for the Marburg virus, especially with the recent outbreaks and pandemic preparedness. Initiatives that to support vaccine development and access like the MARVAC consort time are critical to fighting this public health threat.