What is Ebola?
Ebola, formally known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a viral disease caused by Ebola virus. Viral
diseases caused by viruses, a type of microorganism. There are many types of viruses that cause a
wide variety of viral diseases Ebola being one. Ebola haemorrhagic fever is one of the most lethal
viral diseases with mortality rate (death rate) which is very high during outbreaks (reports of
outbreaks range from about 50% to 100% of humans infected).
What causes it?
The viral family Filoviridae, also known as Filovirus, is the family the Ebola virus belongs too.
Unstoppable bleeding inside and out the body accompanied by a high fever or hemorrhagic fever is
what the virus types cause. There are 5 sub-species to the Ebola virus that have been identified and
are:
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Bundibugyo
Reston
Sudan
Taï Forest
Zaire
Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Zaire ebolavirus, and Sudan ebolavirus have been associated with large
outbreaks in Africa. The virus causing the 2014 West African outbreak belongs to the Zaire species.
Contraction/transmission
The Ebola virus likely originated in African fruit bats and is known as a “zoonotic” virus as it is
transmitted to humans from animals. Animals known to transmit the virus include:
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chimpanzees
forest antelopes
gorillas
monkeys
porcupines
fruit bats
There is no evidence that mosquitoes or other insects can transmit Ebola virus. The bodily fluids
from the animals listed is how the virus is transmitted to humans, and once this is the case humans
can transmit it to others if they come in contact with their:
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breast milk
faeces
saliva
Semen (According to the CDC, Ebola can live in the semen for as long as three months.)
sweat
urine
vomit
objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with
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Blood, secretions, organs, other bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials (e.g.
bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids can all carry Ebola virus. Direct contact with the
contaminants highly increases the chance of the virus entering the body through mucus membranes,
eyes, nose, mouth or broken skin. Fortunately Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in
most cases, by food. However, in Africa, Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bush meat (wild
animals hunted for food), contact with infected bats and as a result of cultural practices. These
involve burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased
person. Those at highest risk of contracting Ebola virus are healthcare providers caring for Ebola
patients and the family and friends as they may come in contact with infected blood or body fluids of
sick patients.
Diagnosis
Signs and symptoms of Ebola are not seen from initial infection with the virus until 2 to 21 days.
Early signs and symptoms include:
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Fever
Severe headache
muscle pain
Chills
Weakness and fatigue
Sore throat
Symptoms become increasingly severe and include:
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Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea (may be bloody)
Red eyes
Rash
Chest pain and cough
Stomach pain
Severe weight loss
Bleeding, usually from the eyes, and bruising (people near death may bleed from other
orifices, such as ears, nose, gums and rectum)
Internal bleeding
Symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function (elevated liver enzymes)
Low white blood cell and platelet counts
It can be difficult to distinguish EVD from other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever
and meningitis. Confirmation that symptoms are caused by Ebola virus infection are made using the
following investigations:
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antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
antigen-capture detection tests
serum neutralization test
reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
electron microscopy
Virus isolation by cell culture.
Samples from patients are an extreme biohazard risk and laboratory testing on non-inactivated
samples should be conducted under maximum biological containment condition
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History;
The Ebola outbreak which occurred in Sudan and Zaire during 1976 was when the virus was first
discovered. Each outbreak had around 300 victims with an estimated 70% mortality rate, the highest
fatality rate of any pathogenic virus. The outbreak however did not spread much larger due to the
remoteness of the areas. Most Ebola virus outbreaks have originated in Africa and have travelled
only to other countries through shipment of non-human primates, through travel such as airplanes
or through accidental contamination in testing facilities. The virus was discovered by Professor Peter
Piot and his co-workers. The team did this by examining blood that had been drawn from a Flemish
nun who was too sick to be evacuated from the Congo. They injected the blood into cell cultures and
into the brains of adult and baby mice to then test the blood, cell cultures, and mice over the next
several days for known hemorrhagic diseases like yellow fever and Lassa fever, but antibodies for
those diseases never turned up. When the cells were ready for analysis, the lab technicians took a
sample and took pictures with an electron microscope. Piot said they saw “very large, long, wormlike
structures: nothing like yellow fever.” Thus was the discovery of Ebola virus and is named after the
Ebola River which is a branch of the Congo River.
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Ebola_virus
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/10/ebola-outbreak-killing-70-percent-victims20141014132345720164.html
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Viral-Diseases.aspx
Dedicated medical equipment (preferable disposable, when possible) should be used by
healthcare personnel providing patient care. Proper cleaning and disposal of instruments,
such as needles and syringes, is also important. If instruments are not disposable, they must
be sterilized before being used again. Without adequate sterilization of the instruments, virus
transmission can continue and amplify an outbreak.
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/index.html?s_cid=cs_3923
Exposure to Ebola can occur in healthcare settings where hospital staff are not wearing
appropriate protective equipment, including masks, gowns, and gloves and eye protection.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Body+orifice
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/53f4f01369bedd3833f7d187-1200/image.jpg
(M.A., 2014) (Staff, 2013) (NHS, 2014)
(MicrobeWiki, 2009)
(Hub, 2014)
(cdc, 2014)
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The Ebola virus infection is systemic, meaning that it attacks every organ and tissue of the
human body except the bones and skeletal muscles. Ebola HF is marked by blood clotting
and hemorrhaging. Although it is not known exactly how the virus particles attack cells, it is
postulated that one factor that allows them to do so is that they release proteins that dampen
down the immune system response.
The Ebola virus attacks connective tissue multiplying rapidly in collagen. Collagen is the
tissue that helps to keep the organs in place. The tissue is basically digested by this virus.
The virus causes small blood clots to form in the bloodstream of the patient; the blood
thickens and the blood flow slows down. Blood clots get stuck into blood vessels forming red
spots on the patient skin. These grow in size as the disease progress. Also, blood clots does
not allow a proper blood supply to many organs such as the liver, brain, lungs, kidneys,
intestines, breast tissue, testicles, etc.
Spontaneous bleeding then occurs from body orifices and gaps in the skin, such as needle
puncture marks and rips that can suddenly appear. Death is caused by huge loss of blood,
renal failure, or shock.
http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/57205.aspx#
http://cdn.tvm.com.mt/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Symptoms_Ebola.jpg
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http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/04/ebola-experts-antibodies-survivors-bloodpotential-cure
http://pdl.com/technology-products/how-do-antibodies-work/
http://theconversation.com/bats-immunity-may-hold-key-to-preventing-future-ebola-outbreaks32633
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26835233
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