EbolaID: an online database of informative genomic regions for ebola identification and treatment.

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a rare and deadly disease affecting humans and other primates caused by infection with a virus of the family Filoviridae, genus Ebolavirus. The March 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa, with more than 11,301 deaths reported by the World Health Organization by March 2016. Methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are commonly used for virus detection with the advantage of requiring low amounts of viral samples, minimal manipulation, and minimal equipment. In particular, quantitative PCR (qPCR) has been used for the sensitive and fast identification of patients with EVD. However, the high genetic diversity of RNA viruses poses a challenge for the design of efficient nucleic acid-based assays, as suggested by the high substitution rate observed in Ebola virus from the 2014 outbreak. Recent studies suggest that false-negative diagnosis or inefficient therapeutics can occur due to sequence variation at binding sites of PCR primers, probes, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), or monoclonal antibodies targeting the Ebola virus. For this reason, the selection of reliable oligonucleotides and target genomic regions for use in nucleic acid-based assays is crucial for the correct diagnosis and treatment of EVD.