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.