Support for laboratories regarding Ebola Bundibugyo Virus (BDBV)
Following the recent outbreak of Bundibugyo ebolavirus disease (BDBV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the EURL-PH-ERZV is offering support to laboratories that may require assistance in preparedness, diagnostics, and biosafety related to suspected or confirmed cases.
Bundibugyo ebolavirus is a rare but high-consequence Ebola species for which there are currently no approved vaccines or specific antiviral treatments. Diagnostic readiness is therefore essential, particularly as some molecular assays and field platforms are designed primarily for Zaire ebolavirus and may not reliably detect BDBV.
Support available through the EURL-PH-ERZV:
- Diagnostic testing support for BDBV (primary and confirmatory testing)
- Guidance and protocols for molecular detection of orthoebolaviruses, including BDBV
- Protocols and reagents for in-house assays used within the EURL consortium
- Advice on biosafety and biorisk management for handling suspected BDBV samples
- Information on available commercial and in-house diagnostic methods, including alignment to the currently published Uganda BDBV sequence.
Information on available BDBV molecular tests is available upon request. Please contact us for further information: EURL-PH-ERZV@folkhalsomyndigheten.se
Diagnostic recommendations
Laboratory confirmation of orthoebolavirus infections, including BDBV, should be performed using nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT). Laboratories are encouraged to verify that the assays used are capable of detecting Bundibugyo ebolavirus and are not limited to Zaire or other orthoebolavirus only.
If pan- orthoebolavirus PCR assays are used, positive findings should ideally be confirmed by sequencing and/or testing with a BDBV-specific assay through a reference laboratory.
The recommended sample types for diagnosis are:
- Whole blood or plasma from living patients
- Oral swabs from deceased individuals
Laboratories using in-house assays are also encouraged to verify primers and probes against the newly published BDBV sequence from Uganda: https://pathoplexus.org/ebola-bdbv
Biosafety considerations
All manipulations of specimens from suspected or confirmed Ebola virus disease cases should follow a risk-based biosafety approach. Each laboratory should perform local risk assessments based on specimen type, laboratory procedures, available containment measures, and local biosafety practices.
Because viral loads may be high in infected individuals, inactivation and open handling of specimens from suspected cases should be performed under appropriate containment conditions, including biosafety level 3 conditions or equivalent measures following risk assessment.
Validated virus inactivation procedures must be applied before testing samples outside containment laboratories. Examples include Trizol or Qiagen AVL buffer with ethanol.
Laboratories should also ensure that good microbiological practice and procedure (GMPP) are consistently applied in accordance with national regulations and the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual who.int/publications/i/item/9789240011311)
For updates on the ongoing situation
See information from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON602