The Ebola Virus
A virus is an ultramicroscopic infectious organism that, having
no independent metabolic activity, can replicate only within a cell of
another host organism. A virus consists of a core of nucleic acid, either
RNA or DNA, surrounded by a coating of antigenic protein and sometimes a
lipid layer surrounds it as well. The virus provides the genetic code for
replication, and the host cell provides the necessary energy and raw
materials. There are more than 200 viruses that are know to cause disease
in humans. The Ebola virus, which dates back to 1976, has four strains
each from a different geographic area, but all give their victims the same
painful, often lethal symptoms.
The Ebola virus ...
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is actually what kill victims of the Ebola virus.
Hemorrhagic fever as defined in Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health
Dictionary as, a group of viral aerosol infections, characterized by fever,
chills, headache, malaise, and respiratory or GI symptoms, followed by
capillary hemorrhages, and, in severe infection, oliguria, kidney failure,
hypotension, and, possibly, death. The incubation period for Ebola
Hemorrhagic Fever ranges from 2-21 days (JAMA 273: 1748). The blood fails
to clot and patients may bleed from injections sites and into the
gastrointestinal tract, skin and internal organs (Ebola Info. from the CDC
2). The Ebola virus has a tropism for liver cells and macrophages,
macrophages are cells that engulf bacteria and help the body defend against
disease. Massive destruction of the liver is a hallmark feature of Ebola
virus infection. This virus does in ten days what it takes AIDS ten years
to do. It also requires biosaftey level four containment, the ...
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in the genital secretions for a brief
period after. This makes it possible for the virus to be spread by sexual
contact. Complete recovery is reached only when no particles of the virus
are left in the body fluids, this however is rarely attained. The disease,
for humans, is not airborne, capable to be passed on through air travel,
but for nonhuman primates it has been a possibility in a few cases.
Ebola Zaire was identified in 1976 in Northern Zaire and was the
first documented appearance of the virus. This strain of the virus effects
humans and nonhuman primates. Close contact and dirty needles spread the
Ebola virus. The center of the epidemic in Zaire involved a ...
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The Ebola Virus. (2004, January 24). Retrieved April 20, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Ebola-Virus/1947
"The Ebola Virus." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 24 Jan. 2004. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Ebola-Virus/1947>
"The Ebola Virus." Essayworld.com. January 24, 2004. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Ebola-Virus/1947.
"The Ebola Virus." Essayworld.com. January 24, 2004. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Ebola-Virus/1947.
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