Zaire ebolavirus, or commonly known as Ebola, is the virus responsible behind the early 2014 outbreak in West Africa and got its name from the Ebola river, a tributary of the Congo river. The main cause of the virus in the first known outbreak in 1976 is still unknown, but it is believed to have been caused by the human handling of fruit bats and monkeys. Once the virus snakes its way through the host’s body it causes deadly fevers which eventually produce hemorrhaging throughout the body of the victim. The hemorrhagic virus consists of seven proteins that make up the RNA’s genome by taking over the hosts’ cells to prevent the immune system from defeating the virus. Ultimately, the failure of internal organs due to hemorrhaging and coagulation which can inevitably lead to death.
History Ebola first appeared in Sudan and Yumbaku, Zaire which had two of the highest mortality rates, 53% and 88%, respectively, with an average mortality rate of 50%. …show more content…
Years of multiple research and experiments could never conclude the specific origin of the Ebola virus. One strain of the Ebola virus was discovered when a group of infected monkeys were shipped into the United State from the Philippines and the last strain was discovered when a scientist accidently infected herself while performing an autopsy on a chimpanzee. Multiple cases around 1976 broke out due to the handling of nesting bats and then once the virus transferred to the human host, hospitals did not take proper precautions with sterilization and the virus broke out of control in small remote villages. Zaire ebolavirus belongs to the family of filoviruses which are classified by single-stranded RNA genome that are known as virions. The shape of these viruses appear as a coiled six or even a shepherd’s crook and are around 14,000 nanometers long. To keep in mind, the thickness of a paper is around 100,000 nanometers thick. Like any other virus, Ebola has to target specific host cells so they can multiply themselves throughout the body and also inhibit interferons, which is a molecule used to stop a virus from reproducing. The host cells that Ebola hijacks are those of the immune system as well as dendritic cells. The reason the virus targets dendritic cells is because they “induce a primary immune response in the inactive or resting naive T-lymphocytes” (Mandal, 2014). Disabling the dendritic cells stops these cells from communicating to T-lymphocytes which are white blood cells. The virus attaches itself to a certain receptor on the cell which allows the viral envelope to move through the cell membrane. Once the genes are inside the host cell the genome is transcribed and translated into more proteins further replicating itself. The virus is now free to replicate itself throughout the host’s body since the primary source of defense is disabled. The virions then bud off from the original cell through the cell membrane taking a piece for themselves forming their cell membrane. These virions spread throughout the host’s body and continues to infect other cells, eventually taking over. Transmission and Infection The handling of fruit bats and monkeys, primarily their raw meat, is believed to be the main cause of transmission from an animal host to a human host as demonstrated in Figure 1. The disease travels between people by direct contact of bodily fluids such as blood and saliva. Even the slightest sneeze of a contaminated person to another person can cause transmission of the virus. Ebola can survive outside the host in bodily fluids for a couple days and on dry surfaces for a few hours. Though Ebola is not an airborne virus it has been shown it can be transmitted indirectly by contact with contaminated surfaces. The reason Ebola is not an airborne virus is because the virus is not prominent enough in air particles that make their way into respiratory systems as well as they do in blood. One of the main causes of transmission in Guinea is because of improper handling of dead bodies. In other third world countries, improper practices of medical equipment and hospital regulation leads to transmission of the
History Ebola first appeared in Sudan and Yumbaku, Zaire which had two of the highest mortality rates, 53% and 88%, respectively, with an average mortality rate of 50%. …show more content…
Years of multiple research and experiments could never conclude the specific origin of the Ebola virus. One strain of the Ebola virus was discovered when a group of infected monkeys were shipped into the United State from the Philippines and the last strain was discovered when a scientist accidently infected herself while performing an autopsy on a chimpanzee. Multiple cases around 1976 broke out due to the handling of nesting bats and then once the virus transferred to the human host, hospitals did not take proper precautions with sterilization and the virus broke out of control in small remote villages. Zaire ebolavirus belongs to the family of filoviruses which are classified by single-stranded RNA genome that are known as virions. The shape of these viruses appear as a coiled six or even a shepherd’s crook and are around 14,000 nanometers long. To keep in mind, the thickness of a paper is around 100,000 nanometers thick. Like any other virus, Ebola has to target specific host cells so they can multiply themselves throughout the body and also inhibit interferons, which is a molecule used to stop a virus from reproducing. The host cells that Ebola hijacks are those of the immune system as well as dendritic cells. The reason the virus targets dendritic cells is because they “induce a primary immune response in the inactive or resting naive T-lymphocytes” (Mandal, 2014). Disabling the dendritic cells stops these cells from communicating to T-lymphocytes which are white blood cells. The virus attaches itself to a certain receptor on the cell which allows the viral envelope to move through the cell membrane. Once the genes are inside the host cell the genome is transcribed and translated into more proteins further replicating itself. The virus is now free to replicate itself throughout the host’s body since the primary source of defense is disabled. The virions then bud off from the original cell through the cell membrane taking a piece for themselves forming their cell membrane. These virions spread throughout the host’s body and continues to infect other cells, eventually taking over. Transmission and Infection The handling of fruit bats and monkeys, primarily their raw meat, is believed to be the main cause of transmission from an animal host to a human host as demonstrated in Figure 1. The disease travels between people by direct contact of bodily fluids such as blood and saliva. Even the slightest sneeze of a contaminated person to another person can cause transmission of the virus. Ebola can survive outside the host in bodily fluids for a couple days and on dry surfaces for a few hours. Though Ebola is not an airborne virus it has been shown it can be transmitted indirectly by contact with contaminated surfaces. The reason Ebola is not an airborne virus is because the virus is not prominent enough in air particles that make their way into respiratory systems as well as they do in blood. One of the main causes of transmission in Guinea is because of improper handling of dead bodies. In other third world countries, improper practices of medical equipment and hospital regulation leads to transmission of the