Bacteria are often maligned as the causes of human and animal disease (like this one, Leptospira, which causes serious disease in livestock)

Ebola Virus
Ebola Virus
Hemorrhagic Fever

Outbreaks
Outbreaks

1976- First Major
Outbreak (ZEBOV)

1976- Sudan
(SEBOV)

Occur Sporadically

www.cdc.gov for
more information

Where does Ebola hide?
Where does Ebola hide?

2002- Fruit Bats

Antibodies against Ebola

Ebola Gene sequences in
liver and spleen

Fruit bats do not show
any symptoms


Best candidate to be the
reservoir

More research needs to
be done

Geography
Geography

The link between human infection by the Ebola virus
and their proximity to primates is clear.
-Outbreaks occurred in countries that house 80 percent
of the world’s remaining wild gorilla and chimpanzee
populations.
- The outbreaks coincided with the outbreaks in wild
animals.
- The same distinct viral strains were isolated in animal
carcasses and in the bodies of those who handled those
carcasses.
- These outbreaks were preceded by an abnormally
large death in wild Gorilla populations.

Clinical Observations
Clinical Observations

Incubation period: 2-21 days

Stage I (unspecific):
-Extreme asthenia (body weakness)

-diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, anorexia
abdominal pain
- headaches
- arthralgia (neuralgic pain in joints)
- myalgia (muscular pain or tenderness), back pain
- mucosal redness of the oral cavity, dysphagia (difficulty in
swallowing)
- conjunctivitis.
- rash all over body except in face
** If the patients don’t recover gradually at this point, there is a high
probability that the disease will progress to the second phase, resulting
in complications which eventually lead to death (Mupapa et al., 1999).


Stage II (Specific):
- Hemorrhage
- neuropsychiatric abnormalities
- anuria (the absence of urine formation)
- hiccups
- tachypnea (rapid breathing).
** Patients who progressed to phase two EHF almost always die.
(Ndambi et al., 1999)

Late Complications:
-Arthralgia
- ocular diseases (ocular pain, photophobia and hyperlacrimation)
- hearing loss
- unilateral orchitis( inflammation of one or both of the testes)

** These conditions are usually relieved with the treatment of 1%

atropine and steroids

Epidemiology
Epidemiology

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever was first found in 1976

It struck two countries within that year

a. Sudan – in a town called N’zara

b. Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of
Congo

In these two instances the mortality rate was between
50 –90%

Following those epidemics, Ebola hit Africa in many
other instances the worst yet being in the year 2000
when it struck Uganda infecting more than 400 people.

Transmission
Transmission

contracted through contact of any infected individual’s body
fluids
Ebola HF prevention
poster used in Kikwit
outbreak.

Controlling the spread of Ebola
Controlling the spread of Ebola

a. Hospitals must follow precautionary methods, such
as:
1. wearing gloves
2. isolating infected individuals
3. practicing nurse barrier techniques
4. proper sterilization and disposal of all equipment

b. Burials must be done correctly
1. no washing or touching carcass
2. put into body bags and bury outside city

c. Report any questionable illness to officials

Ebola Subtypes
Ebola Subtypes

Ebola-Zaire
(ZEBOV)

Ebola-Sudan
(SEBOV)

Ebola Ivory-Coast
(ICEBOV)

Ebola-Reston
(REBOV)

MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE

Characterization of the virus
–
Order: Mononegavirales
–
Family: Filoviridae
–
Genus: Ebolavirus
–
Species: Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Cote d-Ivoire, Ebola-Reston

Morphology under electron microscope
–
filamentous, enveloped RNA virus
–
approx. 19 kb in length (1 kb = 1000 RNA
bases/nucleotides) or 60-80 nm in diameter
–
single-stranded, linear, non-segmented
–
negative-sense RNA (encoded in a 3’ to 5’ direction)
–
appears to have “spikes” due to glycoprotein on
outside membrane


Structure of Ebola genome and proteins

–
Transcribed into 8 sub-genomic mRNA proteins: 7
structural and 1 nonstructural
–
7 structural proteins:
–
nucleoprotein (NP)
–
4 viral/virion proteins (VP35, VP40, VP30, VP24)
–
glycoprotein (GP)
–
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L protein)
•
NP, VP35, VP30, L protein: required for transcription &
replication
•
VP40, GP, VP24: associated with the membrane

Proteins
Proteins

Ethics
Ethics

Biogeograophical Ethics is defined as motivation
based on ideas of right and wrong when dealing
with the geographical distribution of animals and
plants.


This concept of can be used to explain the world’s
shockingly small response to the Ebola Virus.

Because there was little travel to that region by
people of more developed countries, there was not
much economic drive for a vaccine, treatment,
and aid in prevention.

Bioterrorism
Bioterrorism

Since the September 11 bombings in the
United States, the locality of this virus has
become less isolated as the threat of
bioterrorism looms large.

The Ebola virus is now on the “A” list for
hopeful vaccination development.

Experiments have even been formed to show
how Ebola can be used as a bioterror agent.