Ebola Virus

Nicole FossasBiology 402

Causative Agent

1.Zaire2.Sudan3. Bundibugyo

4. Reston5. Ivory Coast

Challenges in Studying Ebola

World Distribution- Outbreaks

Signs and Symptoms

• fever, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, vomiting, diarrhea

• it’s easily misdiagnosed • characterized later by damage to blood vessels

and internal and external bleeding• Fatality rate of up to 90% (ranges from 50-

90%)

Transmission

• Contact with the virus from dead or infected people or wildlife– Skin abrasions– Contaminated needles– Mucosal surfaces

Outbreaks since 2000(Data from May 2012)

Ebola virus and the genes it encodes for

Structure of the virus, including the surface proteins thought to be important to infect

Host Immune Response

Outbreaks only in Africa– suggest natural reservoir is there

References• “Ebola”, NIH. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23327370• “Ebola Virus”, Baylor College of Medicine.

https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/ebola

• “Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers”, CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/• “Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever”, Medicine Plus.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001339.htm• “Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever”, Infection Landscapes.

http://www.infectionlandscapes.org/2012/11/ebola-hemorrhagic-fever.html

• Lee, J., Saphire, E. “Ebolavirus glycoprotein structure and mechanism of entry.” Future Virology. 4.6 (2009) pp. 621-35.

• Sullivan, N., Yang, Z., and Nabel, G. “Ebola Virus Pathogenesis: Implications for Vaccines and Therapies.” Journal of Virology. 77.18 (2003) pp. 9733-37.