Lujo Hemorrhagic Fever
Lujo Hemorrhagic Fever (LUHF) is caused by Lujo Virus. Lujo virus was first identified in 2008 after a small outbreak of severe hemorrhagic fever in africa. The patient was transported by air from Lusaka, Zambia, to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is how the virus got its name. The patient then died 12 days after the first sign of symptoms. Four other individuals who were in contact with the patient in flight also got the virus, 3 out of the 4 died.
Guinea pigs provide a relevant model for animals as they usually develop a fatal characterized by fever, anorexia (loss of appetite for food), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), and frank hemorrhage (rectal bleeding). Still, little is known regarding the ecology(Branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to on another and to their physical surroundings), pathogenesis( the manner of development of a disease), or immunology (The branch of medicine and biology concerned with immunity) of the Lujo virus infection.
