First encountered in African monkeys by biomedical scientists in 1967, the Ebola virus, part of the negative-stranded RNA viruses, known as filoviridae, according to the journal of infectious diseases, is the only known virus family in which scientists have profound ignorance . Specifically speaking, scientists are not aware of the tactics active in the nature of the virus’ agents, their pathogenesis, and virology . However, during the 2014 epidemic—which killed more than 9,600 people and caused an international crisis—much information was gathered, which has provided considerable fundamental material regarding Ebola . In a supplement to the Journal of Infectious Diseases, scientists revealed that there are four distinguishable subtypes to
…show more content…
When closely studied with an electron microscope, the Ebola virus is usually found in a U-shape, which has 7nm spikes, 10nm apart from each other on the surface of the virus . Furthermore, the virus is highly variable in length and can reach 14,000nm long . The virus is made up of a helical nucleocapsid—a protein coat with a nucleic acid and a host cell membrane . Once the virus enters the body the Ebola travels through the blood stream to be replicated in many organs . The seven, polypeptide proteins, which make up the virus—nucleoprotien, glycoprotein, polymerase, and 4 other, unspecified proteins—are synthesized by mRNA, and then transcribed by the RNA, which is mutated by the virus . This process is repeated and eventually the virus will produce in large numbers. Though one may only think—because of the 2014 outbreak—that the virus affects the liver, it also affects the cells of the kidney, ovaries, testes, reticuloendothelilial system, and the lymphatic organs . This results in loss of large amounts of blood. Typical symptoms of the virus are weakness, muscle pain, high fever, headache, sore throat, chest or abdominal pain, black vomiting, rash, and external and internal bleeding . Though scientists are still unaware of how patient zero—the first person to be infected—acquires the disease, the virus is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids . Overall, 90 percent of Ebola victims die, so control of Ebola outbreaks is crucial
When closely studied with an electron microscope, the Ebola virus is usually found in a U-shape, which has 7nm spikes, 10nm apart from each other on the surface of the virus . Furthermore, the virus is highly variable in length and can reach 14,000nm long . The virus is made up of a helical nucleocapsid—a protein coat with a nucleic acid and a host cell membrane . Once the virus enters the body the Ebola travels through the blood stream to be replicated in many organs . The seven, polypeptide proteins, which make up the virus—nucleoprotien, glycoprotein, polymerase, and 4 other, unspecified proteins—are synthesized by mRNA, and then transcribed by the RNA, which is mutated by the virus . This process is repeated and eventually the virus will produce in large numbers. Though one may only think—because of the 2014 outbreak—that the virus affects the liver, it also affects the cells of the kidney, ovaries, testes, reticuloendothelilial system, and the lymphatic organs . This results in loss of large amounts of blood. Typical symptoms of the virus are weakness, muscle pain, high fever, headache, sore throat, chest or abdominal pain, black vomiting, rash, and external and internal bleeding . Though scientists are still unaware of how patient zero—the first person to be infected—acquires the disease, the virus is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids . Overall, 90 percent of Ebola victims die, so control of Ebola outbreaks is crucial