Genus Name: Ebola virus Size: 80nm diameter; 800nm - 1000nm long Shape: filaments; U shape or coiled into

a 6 shape Genome: linear, single stranded, negative-sense RNA; 19kb long; 7 structure proteins Niche: exact origin and natural habitat is unknown Structure: ~ 288 amino acids long; the virons lipid bilayer anchors virally encoded glycoproteins are about 10 nm apart and present in the outer envelope
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fact booklet

The Ebola virus is a viral genus, part of the filoviridae family; it causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans. There are 5 recognized strains of the virus, including Bundibugyo, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Zaire, and Reston. Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire species are known to cause Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) and death while the Ivory Coast and Reston species have not. It is speculated that the humans become infected by coming in contact with an infected animal and they can then spread it further through any bodily fluid, or bodily contact. Also in some studies with primates it has been known to become airborne. (CDC, 2010) Signs of infection occur anywhere in the 2-21 day incubation period. The virus is characterized by its sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and in some cases internal and external bleeding caused by disintegrating blood vessels. The rapid degeneration of the body and its organ failure as well as its inability to replenish fluids and repair damage often leads to death. Tests have also shown low counts of platelets and white blood cells in infected patients (WHO, 2012). Studying the virus has been mostly limited to how it enters and affects the body, but still very little is known about the pathogenesis of the Ebola virus infections. We do know that this pathogen is a zoonotic virus, meaning that it can be transmitted from animal to human or vise-versa. Studies are done with infected primates and infected guinea pigs, because they are the accepted study models for the virus. In these studies the, virus replicates to high titers in the spleen, liver adrenal glands, lung and blood

(Connolly, 1999). The same study also showed that the primary targets of the virus are macrophages, monocytes, and other cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system; they were often targeted within the first 24 hours after inoculation (Connolly). These cells are essential for immune regulation and response in the body. The diagnosis of Ebola is not always easy without lab tests because there are a handful of other diseases which share similar symptoms to Ebola; such as malaria, typhoid, and hepatitis. A definitive diagnosis comes from a variety of different lab tests which include: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antigen detection tests, serum neutralization test, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), virus isolation by culture (WHO, 2012). The samples of the infected must be treated carefully and as a biohazard due to the ease of which the virus can cause infection. There is no standard treatment for Ebola. The way the CDC puts it is that patients receive support therapy which consists of replenishing fluids and electrolytes, maintaining their oxygen and blood pressure. Since it is not yet treatable, the CDC and the world health organization have written manuals to help reduce the spread and contraction of the virus. Research has made some breakthroughs and in one study, monkeys were given modified siRNA which targeted certain proteins; in this study two (66%) of three rhesus monkeys given four postexposure treatments of the pooled anti-ZEBOV siRNAs were protected from lethal ZEBOV infection, whereas all macaques given seven postexposure treatments were protected (Geisbert, 2010). This is promising news but one of the implications as to why Ebola is so hard to treat is because there isnt a single virus but five different strains (Than, 2012). Since Ebolas discovery in 1976, there have been around 3000 reported cases (WHO, 2012). The majority of these cases are limited to West Africa and between the 5 strains of the virus there is a mortality rate from 50% to 90% (Sullivan, 2003). The disease is a concern to public health for 2 reasons, the first being the natural host is yet to be identified making it hard to protect against and leads to unpredictable eruptions; the second being that the

virus has shown its ability to infect primates through airborne particles or aerosols making it a potential to be biological warfare agent (Sullivan, 2003). A recent outbreak occurred on august 27th 2012, in Kibaale Uganda Africa. This was the 4th outbreak in 12 years. The virus infected 24 and left only 7 alive, meaning that there was a mortality rate of 71% (WHO,2012). National and District Ebola Task Forces were convened by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to respond to the outbreak (WHO, 2012). In the response there was enhanced surveillance in order to detect early cases and reinforcement of infection prevention. They also controlled and managed the isolation facilities. Members of the CDC led ecological research that studied the environment and the local animals in search of the source of the virus. Other members of the team educated the locals in prevention and early detection of the pathogen. (WHO, 2012) The social impact of the virus and its prevention are large because it is often little tribes who are affected. The high mortality rates and the ease at which the virus can spread could easily eradicate an entire community; even if it is caught early there is death. The locals feed off the land; this is a problem because the natural reservoir is not yet known. One of the ways the virus comes in to contact with humans is through tainted bush meat. Another problem has to do with, African beliefs which often have to do about disease etiology and transmission, they can be regarded as ignorant and backwards, supposedly hindering or counteracting more enlightened epidemic control efforts. Africans are presumed to believe in spirits and witchcraft as the cause of Ebola, and reject biomedicine and the interventions it necessitates (Jones, 2012). This makes it difficult for the CDC and the WHO to control an outbreak, if the locals do not believe in what they are doing.

References -CDC. Filovirus fact sheet. May 5, 2010 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/Fact_Sheets/fact_sheet_filovirus.pdf -CDC. Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Information Packet. 2009, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/Fact_Sheets/Ebola_Fact_Booklet.pdf -Connolly, Brett M., et al. "Pathogenesis of experimental Ebola virus infection in guinea pigs." Journal of Infectious Diseases 179.Supplement 1 (1999): S203-S217. - Geisbert, Thomas W., et al. "Postexposure protection of non-human primates against a lethal Ebola virus challenge with RNA interference: a proof-of-concept study." The Lancet 375.9729 (2010): 1896-1905. -Jones, Jared. The Limitations of Culturalist Discourses in Epidemiology. 2012 http://www.ghjournal.org/jgh-print/spring-2011-issue/ebola-emerging-the-limitations-ofculturalist-discourses-in-epidemiology/ -Leung, Daisy W., et al. "Structure of the Ebola VP35 interferon inhibitory domain." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106.2 (2009): 411-416. - Sullivan, Nancy, Zhi-Yong Yang, and Gary J. Nabel. "Ebola virus pathogenesis: implications for vaccines and therapies." Journal of virology 77.18 (2003): 9733-9737. -Than, Ker. Ebola in Uganda: Why Can't We Cure It? Where Does It Hide? National Geographic. July 31, 2012. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120731-ebolauganda-virus-health-world-science/ -Warfield, Kelly L., et al. "Ebola virus-like particles protect from lethal Ebola virus infection." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 100.26 (2003): 15889-15894. - WHO. Ebola haemorrhagic fever. August 2012 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/index.html