What causes the Ebola virus?
Ebola is caused by an infection with the Ebola virus. There are four identified subtypes of Ebola virus: Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast, and Ebola-Reston. All but the Ebola-Reston subtype are known to have caused disease in humans. There are no other known causes of Ebola. Human-to-human transmission of Ebola occurs through direct contact with patients who have Ebola, or their body fluids (such as blood or secretions). There is only one cause of Ebola. The cause of Ebola is an infection with the Ebola virus. There are no other causes of Ebola. The Ebola virus got its name from a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), in Africa, where it was first recognized. Ebola virus is one of two members of a family of RNA viruses known as Filoviridae. There are four identified subtypes of Ebola virus. Three of the four have caused disease in humans: * Ebola-Zaire * Ebola-Sudan * Ebola-Ivory Coast. The fourth Ebola virus subtype, Ebola-Reston, has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans. The exact origin, locations, and natural habitat (known as the natural reservoir) of Ebola virus remain unknown; however, on the basis of available evidence, and the nature of similar viruses, researchers believe that the Ebola virus lives in an animal host that is native to the African continent. They continue to search for the exact animal. Just as scientists are unsure of the animal host for the Ebola virus, they are also unsure how an outbreak of Ebola virus occurs. Researchers have hypothesized that the first patient becomes infected with Ebola virus through contact with an infected animal.-
What's the difference between hemophilia and the ebola virus?
Hemophilia is a genetic disease in which the patient has the tendency of easy bleed especially in joints because of the deficiency of one of the coagulation factors, Ebola virus in one of many viruses which cause hemorrhagic fever,characterized by fever, sore throat and severe constitutional signs and symptoms. Late in the disease patient may develop bleeding from mucous membranes and intravenous puncture sites.
Ebola Virus!?
what can you tell me about the structure of an ebola virus. Like what size is the actual virus? If you don't know this, can you please send me a link for a website on this? I haven't found one except Wikipedia but that isn't always a reliable source. Thanks!
What is the ebola virus' scientific name?
Ebola Zaire Ebola Sudan Ebola Reston Ebola-Tai or Ebola Ivory-Coast are the strains
Where did the Ebola virus come from that recently popped up in Africa?
10 years ago, they did not know what the natural host of Ebola is. However, now the general consensus is that it exists asymptomatically in fruit bats. This time, the epidemic started in an area where eating fruit bats is a delicacy.This article from the World Health Organization lays it out: Ebola virus disease
What's going on with the Ebola outbreak in the USA?
There's no outbreak. One infected Liberian guy came over in a plane, then got sick. The CDC has him in quarantine, they're monitoring all the people he got in contact since he got here. His family is being quarantined in their home.You have to come into contact with body fluids to get infected so it's unlikely to spread since all the people he could have spread it to so far are being monitored.
What is the difference in symptoms between the Ebola virus and the Marburg virus? Thank you for your help.?
Great book by the way! It reads like the most exciting fiction novel. Marburg (sorry for the copy and paste): Symptoms. Sudden onset of fever, chills, and malaise, with extreme prostration and weight loss. The fever typically lasts 7 days. On the fifth day of fever, a maculopapular petechial (tiny--pinpoint or pinhead size papula) rash appears, and hemorrhaging begins. In survivors, the skin will eventually begin to shed or peel. Other symptoms are headache, myalgia, and inflammation of the eyelid and eye membrane, intestine, and liver. Excessive effusions from internal organs occurs, followed by pulmonary interstitial edema and renal dysfunction. Renal failure is common. Some patients become jaundiced. Within 7 to 10 days, patients who will survive begin to recover. Recovery can take 5 weeks or more, and is marked by prostration, weight loss, and amnesia for the period of acute illness. Complications during convalescence can include recurrent hepatitis, as well as inflammation of the spinal cord, bone marrow, eyes, testes, and parotid gland. Patients who are at greatest risk of dying experience diffuse or extensive hemorrhage into the skin, mucous membranes, internal organs, stomach, and intestines. Swelling of the spleen, lymph nodes, kidneys, sometimes pancrease, and especially brain occurs. Patients finally experience coma and convulsions, followed by death. Death from shock usually occurs 6-9 days after clinical onset of symptoms. Ebola: High fever Headache Muscle aches Stomach pain Fatigue Diarrhea Sore throat Hiccups Rash Red eyes Vomiting blood Bloody diarrhea Chest pain Shock Death Blindness Bleeding
Why is the Ebola virus difficult to develop a vaccine for?
The question is why it's more difficult to develop a vaccine against Ebola than many other viral diseases. It's more difficult to do early vaccine research on these kinds of viruses (filoviruses) because the viruses themselves are so dangerous to work with and because the is no simple animal models. Before any clinical testing can be done one must go through animal systems. Ebola requires extremely expensive experiments in monkeys under highest bio safety standards (so called BSL4) where scientists wear "space suits". The bottom line is that not exactly any lab can start working on these kind of vaccines.There are, however, and number of facilities that have set up good animal models to various Ebola viruses and there are several experimental vaccines that have shown great effect and probably would work in people. But to develop these further takes lots of money, and only governments would be able to take on such projects given the (at least up to now) tiny market.