EBOV

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Etiology

Taxonomy

I Order = [[ Mononegavirales ]] I Family = [[ Filoviridae ]] I Genus = [[ Ebolavirus ]] I Species = [[ Zaire ebolavirus ]] I

Pathogenesis

Transmission

There are two types of exposures that contribute to acquiring the Ebola virus. The first, primary exposure, is due to travel in an ebola endemic area. The second mode of transmission is contact with bodily fluids of an infected host. In addition, using unsterilized hospital equipment that came in contact with the virus.

Infectious dose and incubation

Upon invasion of host cells, the virus typically presents a 2-21 day incubation period. The infectious dose is very low; 1-10 aerosolized particles are sufficient to cause disease.

Diagnosis

Typically, clinical diagnosis can only be made after the first few days of symptoms because the early symptoms could have been caused by many other factors. Laboratory tests such as, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), serum neturalization tests, antigen detection tests, virus isolation ,and a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) definitively allow the detection of the ebola virus in a patient. These tests are conducted under maximum biological containment conditions.

References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

Created by {Bhumi Patel}, student of Tyrrell Conway at the University of Oklahoma.