Understanding organ dysfunction in Ebola virus disease

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Ebola viruses are single-stranded RNA filoviruses which are maintained in nature in fruit bats [1]. The genus includes five strains that are clinically distinguished by their usual geographic location and severity of disease in humans. The Reston strain does not appear to cause human disease, and asymptomatic human infections can also occur with other strains. The current West African outbreak is caused by the Zaire strain,which is typically associated with mortality rates of 50–90 % [2, 3]. This short review summarises knowledge about the pathogenesis of organ dysfunction in Ebola virus disease (EVD).