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Viruses
Special Issues
Advancing Understanding of Filoviruses
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Advancing Understanding of Filoviruses

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 846

Special Issue Editors

Dr. John Misasi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
Interests: filoviruses; SARS-CoV-2; RSV; antibodies; humoral immunity
Dr. Adam Hume

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Interests: filoviruses; henipaviruses; in vitro modeling; correlates of pathogenicity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Filoviridae constitute an expanding family of emerging and reemerging viruses, including multiple highly pathogenic viruses that periodically spill over into human populations. This Special Issue, Advancing Understanding of Filoviruses, will provide researchers in the field the opportunity to publish original scientific research, reviews, viewpoints, method descriptions, and other communications that may be of interest to scientists investigating filoviruses.

Dr. John Misasi
Dr. Adam Hume
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • filoviruses
  • Ebola virus
  • Marburg virus
  • Sudan virus
  • Tai Forest virus
  • Bundibugyo virus
  • Reston virus
  • Lloviu virus
  • Bombali virus
  • Mengla virus
  • Dehong virus

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4434 KB  
Article
Two Decades Later: Long-Term Multisystem Sequelae and Subclinical Organ Dysfunction in Sudan Ebola Virus (SUDV) Survivors of the 2000 Outbreak
by Raymond Ernest Kaweesa, Joseph Ssebwana Katende, Geoffrey Odoch, Annie Daphine Ntabadde, Raymond Reuel Wayesu, Deborah Mukisa, Peter Ejou, on behalf of the FiloStudy Team, Pontiano Kaleebu and Jennifer Serwanga
Viruses 2025, 17(11), 1410; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17111410 - 23 Oct 2025
Viewed by 679
Abstract
Background: Despite repeated re-emergence of Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), its long-term human toll remains under-characterised. We assessed multisystem clinical, biochemical, and psychosocial outcomes ~25 years after the 2000 Gulu outbreak. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional evaluation of 45 survivors of laboratory-confirmed SUDV [...] Read more.
Background: Despite repeated re-emergence of Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), its long-term human toll remains under-characterised. We assessed multisystem clinical, biochemical, and psychosocial outcomes ~25 years after the 2000 Gulu outbreak. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional evaluation of 45 survivors of laboratory-confirmed SUDV and 30 age- and gender-matched community controls from the same region. Symptoms were assessed as current at the study visit using a structured checklist; for each symptom present, we recorded severity and duration from onset to the visit date. Standardised clinical examinations, haematological and biochemical assessments, anxiety and depression screening, and structured interviews on social support and stigma were performed. Group comparisons were assessed with Wilcoxon rank-sum and χ2/Fisher’s exact tests; correlations were assessed with Spearman’s ρ. Findings: Core physiological indices (vital signs, BMI, blood pressure, and body temperature) and mental health were comparable between survivors and controls. Nevertheless, survivors reported ongoing symptoms, including joint pain and visual impairment each in 36% (16/45), fatigue in 18% (8/45), and neurological symptoms in 13% (6/45). Subclinical laboratory deviations centred on hepatic and platelet biology: elevated total bilirubin occurred in 14% of survivors versus 6.7% of controls; thrombocytopenia or platelet morphological abnormalities in 12% versus 3.3%; haemoglobin abnormalities in 6% versus 0%. Among survivors, albumin and mean platelet volume declined with age (both p ≤ 0.03). Psychological morbidity was low (normal anxiety 82% (37/45; and normal depression 80% (36/45). Yet a social paradox emerged, despite universal post-outbreak support, 98% (44/45) described enduring stigma. To minimise differential recall bias, symptom inventories were not collected from controls; consequently, between-group comparisons for symptom prevalence were not performed, and symptom inferences are restricted to survivors and framed descriptively. Interpretation: A quarter-century after infection, SUDV survivors show preserved systemic physiology but carry chronic musculoskeletal, sensory, and neurological sequelae, alongside a discrete subclinical profile implicating hepatic function and platelet biology. Psychological resilience coexists with near-universal, persistent stigma, indicating that material support did not achieve full psychosocial reintegration. Given the lack of virological and deep immune profiling, proposed pathogenetic mechanisms, such as antigen persistence or immune-mediated injury, remain speculative and hypotheses-generating only. These findings argue for survivor-centred long-term care, embedded with epidemic preparedness frameworks that integrate musculoskeletal rehabilitation, ophthalmic and neurological services with comprehensive mental health care, and sustained anti-stigma community engagement. This dissociation, including short-lived support alongside enduring stigma, indicates that humanitarian relief alone does not secure durable psychosocial reintegration and should be complemented by long-horizon, survivor-centred services and community engagement. Funding: This study was supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) under the Universal Protocol for Standardising Assays and Advancing Vaccine Immunogenicity Assessments for Emerging and Re-emerging Viral Threats, implemented through the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) as part of CEPI’s Centralised Laboratory Network (CLN). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Understanding of Filoviruses)
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