Taï Forest ebolavirus
The species Taï Forest ebolavirus is a virological taxon included in the genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, order Mononegavirales. The species has a single virus member, Taï Forest virus. The members of the species are called Taï Forest ebolaviruses.
Tai Forest ebolavirus has been seen in a single human infection due to contact chimpanzee from the Tai Forest in Côte d'Ivoire.
Nomenclature
The name Taï Forest ebolavirus is derived from Parc National de Taï and the taxonomic suffix ebolavirus. According to the rules for taxon naming established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, the name Taï Forest ebolavirus is always to be capitalized, italicized, never abbreviated, and to be preceded by the word "species". The names of its members are to be capitalized, are not italicized, and used without articles.The species was introduced in 1998 as Cote d'Ivoire Ebola virus. In 2002, the name was changed to Cote d'Ivoire ebolavirus. The name was proposed to be changed to Taï Forest ebolavirus in 2010, and this proposal was immediately accepted by the ICTV.
A virus of the genus Ebolavirus is a member of the species Taï Forest ebolavirus if:
- it is endemic in Côte d'Ivoire
- it has a genome with three gene overlaps
- it has a genomic sequence different from Ebola virus by ≥30% but different from that of Taï Forest virus by <30%.
Use of term
Taï Forest virus was first described in 1995 as a new "strain" of Ebola virus. It is the single member of the species Taï Forest ebolavirus, which is included into the genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, order Mononegavirales. The name Taï Forest virus is derived from Parc National de Taï and the taxonomic suffix virus. According to the rules for taxon naming established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, the name Taï Forest virus is always to be capitalized, but is never italicized, and may be abbreviated.Previous designations
Taï Forest virus was first introduced as a new "strain" of Ebola virus in 1995. In 2000, it received the designation Côte d'Ivoire Ebola virus, and in 2002 the name was changed to Côte d'Ivoire ebolavirus.. Other names circulating in the literature were the correct Côte d'Ivoire Ebola virus and Côte d'Ivoire ebolavirus, and the jargon terms Ivory Coast Ebola virus and Ivory Coast ebolavirus. Previous abbreviations for the virus were EBOV-CI, EBOV-IC, ICEBOV and most recently CIEBOV. The virus received its final designation in 2010, when it was renamed Taï Forest virus.Virus inclusion criteria
A virus of the species Taï Forest ebolavirus is a Taï Forest virus if it has the properties of Taï Forest ebolaviruses and if its genome diverges from that of the prototype Taï Forest virus, Taï Forest virus variant Côte d'Ivoire, by ≤10% at the nucleotide level.Disease
TAFV is one of four ebolaviruses that causes Ebola virus disease in humans. EVD due to TAFV infection cannot be differentiated from EVD caused by other ebolaviruses by clinical observation alone, which is why the clinical presentation and pathology of infections by all ebolaviruses is presented together on a separate page. TAFV made its first and thus far only known appearance in 1994 during a viral hemorrhagic fever epizootic among western chimpanzees in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. As more dead western chimpanzees were discovered, many tested positive for infection with an ebolavirus distinct from those already known. One of the scientists performing the necropsies on the infected western chimpanzees contracted TAFV. She developed symptoms similar to those of dengue fever approximately a week after the necropsy, and was transported to Switzerland for treatment. She was discharged from hospital after two weeks and had fully recovered six weeks after the infection.| Year | Geographic location | Human cases/deaths |
| 1994 | Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire | 1/0 |