Search for the Ebola virus reservoir in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of theCongo: Reflections on a vertebrate collection

A 3-month ecologic investigation was done to identify the reservoir of Ebol a virus following the 1995 outbreak in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the C ongo, Efforts focused on the fields where the putative primary case had wor ked but included other habitats near Kikwit, Samples were collected from 30 66 vertebrates and tested for the presence of antibodies to Ebola (subtype Zaire) virus: All tests were negative, and attempts to isolate Ebola virus were unsuccessful. The investigation was hampered by a lack of information beyond the daily activities of the primary case, a lack of information on E bola virus ecology, which precluded the detailed study of select groups of animals, and sample-size limitations for rare species, The epidemiology of Ebola hemorrhagic fever suggests that humans have only intermittent contact with the virus, which complicates selection of target species. Further stu dy of the epidemiology of human outbreaks to further define the environment al contact of primary cases would be of great value.