Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Anderson Coates Michael Mastropole

Discovery Three initial outbreaks 1976 in Sudan – E. Sudan 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – E. Zaire 1979 in Sudan – E. Sudan – Outbreak occurred in the same factory as first outbreak

Virus Strains 5 different strains – E. Sudan – E. Zaire – E. Ivory Coast Only one confirmed case – E. Reston Non pathogenic to humans – E. Bundibugyo

Ebola virus Member of Filoviridae – Pleomorphic RNA virus Genome has seven open reading frames – Code for structural proteins, glycoproteins, nucleoproteins, and polymerase

Transmission Through blood to blood contact Undersupplied and undertrained health- care staff Reusing needles and bloody gloves in hospitals

Natural Reservoir Currently unknown Sub-Saharan Africa non-human primate population Possibly local bat population

Symptoms (Days 1-10) Replication period Inside the body’s monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells No visible symptoms, but contagious

Symptoms (Days 11-14) Body recognizes infection and responds fever, headache, muscle pain, conjunctivitis, and abdominal pain Virus attaches to blood vessel walls

Symptoms (Days 15-19) Virus attacks connective tissue Blood pools under skin nausea, blood in vomit and diarrhea, and hemorrhaging from the mouth, nose, and other body openings Hypovolemic shock causing death

Ebola Documentary Trailer L8

Sources (2009). ViralZone. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2010, from Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzlerland. Web site: (2009). Questions and Answers about Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Retrieved Apr. 8, 2010, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,GA. Web site: htm. (2010). Syndromic Surveillance as an Early Warning System for Biological Attacks. Retrieved Apr. 8, 2010, from Medscape CME. Web site: