ebola paper for biol-m310

7/30/2019 Ebola Paper for BIOL-M310

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Ebola:

Tim Weaver

M310 Microbiology

Mr. Shippee


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Picture, for one moment, numerous bloody bodies lying scattered and moaning in

agony in blood-soaked beds as the life is slowly and painfully drawn from them as if they

were soldiers that had just returned from one of the deadliest wars in history, bruised,

battered and broken by their enemy. But they had fought no war, and had never laid eyes

on their enemy, for the very thing that was destroying them was living and replicating at

an enormous rate, right inside their own bodies. This is the gruesome image of what a

hospital looks like when its patients encounter the Ebola virus. Today the mention of its

name alone can instill fear in anyone has heard much of its unpleasant effects. Yet, many

do not know just how horrible those effects are or just how Ebola has come to be what we

know it as today. Ebola has only in fairly recent times emerged from its hiding place in

the depths of the tropical rainforests of Africa and is now seen as one of the most lethal

and efficient viral killers on the planet, certainly a potential bio-weapon threat that could

prove extremely devastating.

Although Ebola is thought of as a very ancient virus, humans have only recently felt

its presence on the Earth, and so its know history is brief, but significant. The Ebola virus

was first recognized in September of 1976. (CDC "Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever" para.

1) The only thing we knew then; were that it was dangerous, very dangerous, and

although much remains to be known about this virus, we have also learned a lot about it

since its initial discovery. Ebola originated in the African rainforest regions surrounding

Zaire, where the first cases were discovered. Other known cases of Ebola infections have

occurred in Gabon, Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Uganda, and the Republic of the Congo.

Although we know the general area from which the viruses came, we don't know exactly

where or what it came from. However, scientists believe it is "normally maintained in an


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animal host that is native to the African continent" and that humans get it from contact

with that animal. (CDC "Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever", para. 3) Four distinct Ebola strains

are known of, all of which belong to a family of viruses called the filoviridae. These are

the Zaire, Sudan, Ivory Coast, and Reston strains, all of which can be lethal in humans

and non-human primates such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees, except Ebola

Reston, which does not affect humans. There is only one other identified filovirus, a close

cousin of Ebola known as Marburg (CDC, "Filoviruses" para..2). The Zaire strain is the

most lethal, with a 90% death rate. The outlook for an individual with Ebola is obviously

not good no matter which strain they contract, however there have been cases of recovery

from an infection, for reasons that are still not entirely known by doctors and scientists. It

is known, however, that "the patients who die usually have not developed a significant

immune response to the virus at the time of death" (CDC "Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever",

para. 11). Ebola's, and the other filoviruses, structure resembles a piece of thread that can

be in the form of several shapes including U's and 6's (CDC"Filoviruses" para. 2). This

is unusual and rare as far as viruses are concerned, and it is believed that Ebola or viruses

similar to it may have been on the earth since its very creation about 6 billion years ago.

The Ebola virus causes a dangerous and serious disease, called Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever,

in primates such as humans and monkeys. Symptoms of Ebola HF can begin anywhere

from 221 days after initial infection, depending on the strain (Izenburg 319). The

symptoms come suddenly and begin with fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, a sore

throat, and weakness. This is followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and intestinal and stomach

pain. During the period before death, some patients may develop a rash, red eyes, and

bleeding, both internal and external. This is known as "crashing and bleeding out" in


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which a patient leaks blood from every opening and orifice in the body (Preston 24). The

virus replicates extremely fast insides its victim and attacks every organ in the entire

body, turning it into a liquid filled with millions of virus particles. There is no cure or

treatment for Ebola. All the can be done is to provide "supportive therapy," which

basically entails trying to keep fluid and oxygen levels stable as well as maintaining

blood pressure and trying to deal with the symptoms such as fever.

The virus is transmitted through "direct contact with the blood and/or secretions of an

infected person" in humans, but the Reston form can be airborne. (CDC "Ebola

Hemorrhagic Fever", para. 7) This is the one thing that prevents Ebola from becoming a

worldwide epidemic. If it were to become airborne in humans, there would be almost no

stopping it. However, it spreads very easily in Africa because of the lack of knowledge

by the general public of how viruses are spread. The hospitals reuse needles and syringes

and the nurses and doctors do not strictly follow safety precautions such as wearing

masks, gloves, and protective clothing. The burial rituals in African cultures may often

involve handling directly the dead bodies, escalating further the chance of infection

(Preston 109).

Due to Ebola's severe symptoms and extremely high death rate, it could easily do severe

damage to the human civilization if it was not properly identified and contained.

Once an outbreak of Ebola, or any other disease for which there is no cure, occurs the

only way to stop is to isolate those who have been infected and quarantine them so that

the virus is unable to spread. Special procedures must be taken to contain and sterilize

everything before an outbreak gets out of hand. Because the incubation period is

relatively low, extremely fast action must be taken for it to be effective. If one single


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infected monkey were to escape from a facility or bite a caretaker, the virus could

establish itself very quickly in the US or another major country if infected persons were

to travel abroad before the symptoms became severe, there could be cases across the

entire globe in a matter of weeks. With that many people infected and spread out, there

would be no agency capable of dealing with and containing the individual outbreaks.

Doctors and hospitals would not be equipped to deal with the numerous infections and so

the virus could quickly overwhelm the population and knock out communications, travel,

and basic services. The modern world as we know it would begin to fail like the organs of

a person infected with Ebola, and the end result would be death of the human civilization.

The only chance for survival would be the small percentage that survived infections and

small pockets of people in reverse quarantines, where they block

themselves from the outside world. These are of course only theoretical effects of a

natural Ebola outbreak. However, if someone were to decide to use Ebola as a biological

weapon, the effects could be even worse. Not only would a large-scale Ebola attack

spread farther, it would happen almost instantly. If this were to happen, there would be

almost no stopping the annihilation of the masses. With this gloomy possibility in mind,

scientists around the world are scrambling to find ways to save those infected and stop

Ebola from killing.

Although at this time there is no specific treatment, vaccine, or cure available for

Ebola, efforts are constantly being made to try and further understand the virus and find

ways to stop it. So far scientists have been able to make progress in some areas that may

prove promising as methods of winning the war on Ebola. The BBC Health Department

reported this progress and explained why it is such a significant breakthrough:


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Lead researcher Dr Gary Nabel, of the NIH Vaccine Research Centre, said: "We have

been able to define the major Ebola virus gene that kills cells, and have provided a

molecular target for potential new antiviral drugs and vaccines." Dr Nabel's team placed a

protein produced by the Ebola virus into human and pig arteries. It broke down the

endothelial cells which line the blood vessels and made them leak. But when they altered

the protein slightly, it did not have this effect.

If a treatment can be made to block the effects of this gene, then the body might have

enough time to fight off the infection. (BBC "Breakthrough on Ebola" para. 9) Also, a

plant has been discovered whose compounds have been shown to stop the replication of

the Ebola virus. The Garcinia Kola plants come from the same forests in Africa that the

virus is thought to reside in. The compounds from these plants could possibly form the

basis for drugs that would stop Ebola and allow the body to stand a chance against it.

(BBC"Ebola cure hope") As time progresses so does out understanding of the inner

workings of the virus and just how it attacks the human body. It now looks like a vaccine

or drug that could cure Ebola may be relatively close at hand. Work has already begun on

using antibodies in lab mice to combat the disease. (BBC "Ebola cure possible"). These

techniques provide hope that one day this devastating disease will be curable.

Although Ebola has only recently come into contact with the human race, it has

managed to cause an enormous amount of destruction and fear as it emerged from its

tropical hiding place to become one of the most feared and dangerous infectious agents.

Its effects are devastating on a single human body, but a worldwide outbreak

would be catastrophic. However, perhaps we have seen the worst of this virus as

scientists get closer and closer to discovering a way to give us a fighting chance against


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Ebola.


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WORKS CITED

"Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever." World Health Organization. Dec. 2000. Online. Availablehttp://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact103.html. 16 Nov. 2002.

Health. "Breakthrough on Ebola." BBC News. 31 July, 2000. Online. Availablehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/860319.stm. 15 Nov. 2002.

Health. "Ebola Cure Hope." BBC News. 5 Aug. 1999. Online. Availablehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/411030.stm. 15 Nov. 2002.

Health "Ebola Cure Possible." BBC News. 2 March 2000. Online Available

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/664300.stm. 15 Nov. 2002

Izenburg, Neil, M.D. ed. "Ebola Fever." Human Diseases and Conditions. New York:

Charles Scribner's Sons. 2000. Vol. II. 319-320.

Special Pathogens Branch. "Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever." Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. 4 June 2002. Online. Availablehttp://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola.htm. 13 Nov. 2002.

Special Pathogens Branch. "Filoviruses." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 3

May 2002. Online. Availablehttp://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/filoviruses.htm. 14 Nov. 2002

ebola paper for biol-m310

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