The outbreak started in Zambia and spread to South Africa.
Credit: Google Maps
To characterise the virus, researchers took genetic material from the victims' blood and livers. The pyrosequencing method allowed them to obtain detailed information about a sample's DNA without any advanced knowledge of it.
This method allowed researchers to analyze the new virus in "unprecedented" time scales, said Scott Layne, an epidemiologist with the University of California in Los Angeles. "It is extremely exciting and important work for emerging infectious diseases."
The next step, Lipkin said, is to use the genetic information to learn more about the Lujo virus. Researchers are trying to determine the geographic distribution, as well as find drugs that could be used as a treatment.
Right now, though, "we don't know how it causes disease or how to prevent or treat infection," he said.
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