Bioinformatics analysis of Zaire Ebola virus evolution

Abstract

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EBHF), caused by Ebola virus (EBOV), is a type of fatal epidemic disease with highly pathogenic rate, highly infection rate, and highly mortality rate which has reemerged in West Africa in February, 2014, leading to a catastrophe in the local and trend of spreading worldwide. In order to prevent the disease from spreading further, it is necessary to have a research of the most dangerous Zaire Ebola virus at the molecular level. Comparing to Zaire EBOV in 1976, the evolution result of the virus in 2014 can instruct people to take steps and have the proper precaution program. The comparison and phylogenic tree methods are able to reveal the degree of the evolution whose processing is conservative at present. With the help of ClustalX, the amount of mutations in different parts of Zaire EBOV nucleotide sequences can be analyzed. Only 3% bases changed in the sequences of 2014. Phylogenic tree can reflect the relationship of the sequences in diverse years, and they are homology. Combining the changes of base with corresponding amino acid, the conservation of the virus can be demonstrated again. It's significant to have a continuous concern of the Zaire virus, as it may have potential evolution.