The genus Ebolavirus (/iˈboʊlə/- or /əˈboʊləˌvaɪrəs/; ee-BOH-lə- or ə-BOH-lə-VY-rəs)[1][2][3] is a virological taxon included in the family Filoviridae (filament-shaped viruses), order Mononegavirales.

[3] The members of this genus are called ebolaviruses,[3] and encode their genome in the form of single-stranded negative-sense RNA.

[9][10] The name Ebolavirus is derived from the Ebola River in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), near the location of the 1976 outbreak,[10] and the taxonomic suffix -virus (denoting a viral genus).

[15] This order is characterized by non-segmented, single-stranded negative-sense RNA (-ssRNA) genomes that are surrounded by a helical nucleocapsid.

[18][19] Research has suggested that sGP is able to subvert the host immune response increasing the EBOV pathogenesis.

[17] NP is also shown to recruit host cell proteins to facilitate virus transcription and replication within the cytoplasm.

[25] Induction of macropinocytosis leads to the formation of macropinocytosis-specific endosomes (macropinosomes), which are large enough to accommodate Ebola virions.

This discovery was proven by the fact that Ebolavirus co-localizes with sorting nexin 5 (SNX5), which consists of a large family of peripheral membrane proteins that associate with newly formed macropinosomes.

In order for it to be studied more widely, BSL-2 laboratories have been able to use systems that are substitutes for the actual infectious virus.

Both of these treatments are designed to attack the glycoprotein in order to prevent the virus from entering a new host cell and replicating.

Besides these two drugs, there is more general treatment care such as managing symptoms that are caused by Ebola such as vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and any pain.

[32][33] Five characterised species of the genus Ebolavirus are: Rates of genetic change are 8*10−4 per site per year and are thus one fourth[47] as fast as influenza A in humans.

[3] In particular, the generic term "Ebola virus" is widely used to refer specifically to members of the species Zaire ebolavirus.

In particular, "Ebola virus" does not have an official meaning recognized by ICTV, and rather they continue to use and recommend only the species designation Zaire ebolavirus.

[53] A recent alignment-free analysis of Ebola virus genomes from the current outbreak reveals the presence of three short DNA sequences that appear nowhere in the human genome, suggesting that the identification of specific species sequences may prove to be useful for the development of both diagnosis and therapeutics.