KARAN CHOPRA MOHAN BOLISETTY

Comparative VirologyOctober 2005

Virus Classification Group: Group V (-)ssRNA.

Order:Mononegavirales Family:Filoviridae Genus:Ebolavirus

• Ebola’s natural reservoir is unknown.• Non human primates have been the source of

human infections but are not thought to be the reservoirs.

History• Named after the Ebola River in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), near the first epidemics.

• Two species were identified in 1976: – Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) and – Sudan ebolavirus (SEBOV)

• Case fatality rates of 83% and 54% respectively.• A third species, Reston ebolavirus (REBOV), was

discovered in November 1989 in a group of monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) imported from the Philippines.

• Ivory Coast ebolavirus – Only one case. Unlucky scientist.

OUTBREAKSEBOLA Saga

Saga Continues

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebotabl.htm

Most Recent • April 25 – June 16 2005 total of 12

cases including 9 deaths were reported in Etoumbi and Mbomo in the Cuvette Quest Region.

Modes of Transmission

There are 3 modes of infection:

1. Unsterilized needles2. Suboptimal Hospital

conditions3. Personal contact

http://www.ecplanet.com/pic/2003/12/1071257871/ebola.jpg

Symptoms• Onset of fever.• Intense weakness.• Muscle Pain.• Headache.• Soar Throat.• Vommitting, Diarrhoea.• Impaired Kidnay and liver function.

Is There a Cure?• There are no known curative

medications for Ebola.• However, there have been very

recent developments in preventative medications.

Vaccines• In June, Jones and his colleagues, Dr.

Heinz Feldmann of Winnipeg and Dr. Thomas Geisbert at Fort Detrick, Maryland announced that they had successfully vaccinated monkeys against the deadly Ebola virus

• The Ebola vaccine is based on the 1976 strain of the Zaire species and protects from the 1995, but not the other 2 species that affect humans.

Bioterrorism

• Airborne transmission of Ebola Zaire has been demonstrated in monkeys in a controlled laboratory experiment

• Plum Island…?

Conclusion• Even though scientists have recently

made breakthroughs there is still need for extensive research to find vaccines and cures for this deadly virus.

References• www.wikipidea.com• http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/

ebotabl.htm• http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/• Hampton, Tracy. Vaccines Against Ebola and Marburg Viruses

Show Promise in Primates Studies. Maedical News and Perspectives. JAMA. Vol. 294 No. 2 July 2005.

• Jones, Steven. Live attenuated recombinant vaccine protects nonhuman primates against Ebola and Marburg viruses. Nature Medicine. Vol. 11 No. 7 July 2005.