1. EBOLA
Comparative Virology
October 2005
KARAN CHOPRA
MOHAN BOLISETTY

2. Group: Group V (-)ssRNA.
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.

3. 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.

4. OUTBREAKS EBOLA Saga

5. Saga Continues

6. Most Recent
April 25 – June total of 12 cases including 9 deaths were reported in Etoumbi and Mbomo in the Cuvette Quest Region.

8. Modes of Transmission There are 3 modes of infection:
Unsterilized needles
Suboptimal Hospital conditions
Personal contact

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

10. Is There a Cure? There are no known curative medications for Ebola.
However, there have been very recent developments in preventative medications.

11. 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.

12. Bioterrorism
Airborne transmission of Ebola Zaire has been demonstrated in monkeys in a controlled laboratory experiment
Plum Island…?

13. Conclusion
Even though scientists have recently made breakthroughs there is still need for extensive research to find vaccines and cures for this deadly virus.

14. References
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.