The West African Ebola Virus

Ebola is a critical disease that has recently spread the country of West Africa. We have also had a few cases in the United States. Ebola is a deadly disease that cannot be contained. As of November 20, 2014 the total number of cases in West Africa is 15,113 (1). There have been a total of 5,406 deaths in the West African outbreak (1). This outbreak has lasted from March 1st, 2014 until the present (1). Scientists across the globe have been working hardly to find a cure for this raging epidemic and this deadly disease. They attempted to make a serum, by which is called ZMapp (15). This serum is made out of engineered antibodies that are used to attempt to fight off the disease without being altered by the disease (15). Scientists have

been closely observing the pathogen that causes the Ebola virus. The scientist have found out that the pathogen looks like a long looping string that has sharp spikes on the outside of it (11). Scientists have also observed that this disease is going to be tough to solve. This pathogen works by attaching itself to antibodies and preventing the signal to fight off the virus from traveling to the neuron to be put into effect (9). Ebola, however, has many forms. Ebola is a part of a larger family of viruses known as the Filoviridae family (1). There are four different strains of the Ebola virus - Zaire (EBOZ), Sudan (EBOS), Tai (EBOT) and Reston (EBOR) (1). Our recent outbreak has been a deadly epidemic that continues to sweep the country of West Africa. This isn’t our first count of Ebola, however. Ebola has been around since 1976 where its first case took place near the Ebola River hence its name of the Ebola virus (1). The hardest part about curing Ebola is its ability to change and adapt quickly to the environment it is put in. Ebola is a virus that has been around for a very long time but has never been escalated to this point. This is the worst case of Ebola that has ever existed in the history of the virus.
Introduction
As man continues to explore previously uninhabited areas of the globe, many unknown factors such as disease are being discovered, one such is the Ebola virus. Ebola is a disease that began in Africa and spreading throughout the world. Ebola is a very dangerous virus with a fatality rate of up to 50 percent (2). Ebola causes bleeding internally and sometimes causes blood to exude through sockets of the eyes, nose, and other orifices (6). Symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, rash, decreased liver and kidney functions may be exhibited in Ebola patients (6). Ebola may cause hemorrhagic fever in addition to its other life threatening symptoms (6).
Recently, in the countries of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, the Ebola virus has infected 9,911 people and has taken the lives’ of 4,868 people (2). The current rate of deaths is over twenty people per day (5). The West African outbreak is currently spreading very rapidly.
Statement of Purpose
This paper will discuss the Ebola virus is. Additionally, this paper will review how to stop this outbreak and explain what makes viruses like Ebola so “unique” in comparison to common viruses such as the flu.

The History of Ebola
The Ebola virus has been around longer than the current outbreak. Ebola was first founded in 1976 near the Ebola River located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo thus the disease was named Ebola (1). The first emerged virus was in Sudan and Zaire (13). The first outbreak was of the Ebola-Sudan and infected over 248 people and had a death rate of 53% (13). The disease is now spreading throughout Africa and some miniscule cases in America (1). The next known Ebola virus was the EBOZ (Ebola-Zaire) virus and infected 318 people (12). The third strain founded was the Ebola Reston virus (13). It was founded in monkeys that were imported into Reston, Virginia, from the Philippines (13). Few humans received the Reston Ebola virus; however none were contaminated by EFH (Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever) (13).
Ebola is caused by infection with a virus in the Filoviridae family (1). There are four identified types of the Ebola virus, they are Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly known as Côte d’lvoire ebolavirus); and Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus) (1). The Reston virus is the only known Ebola species that has caused disease in nonhuman primates (1). There is no known host for the Ebola virus (1). The Ebola virus is believed to be an animal-borne disease, with bats most likely being the reservoir. Only four of the Ebola virus strains occur in an animal host that is native to Africa (1). The only way to get the Ebola disease is to come in contact with bodily fluids from a person who is infected by Ebola or objects that have been contaminated objects from an infected person (4). Most unprotected health care workers are at high risk of infection (4). The current Ebola outbreak has contaminated Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, and the United States from March 25, 2014 to the present day (4).

Ebola: A Microscopic View
Ebola is a very odd disease as far as the symptoms it produces and the results in human life it causes, but it is different in other ways too.

Most people don’t see how odd the Ebola virus looks under a microscope. The Ebola virus resembles long filaments in the “U-shape” form, as seen to the right (12). The virus has spikes that are 10 nm apart from each other and are on the surface of the virus (12). The Ebola virus has an average size of 80mn in diameter and 920 nm in length (12). The Ebola virus also contains virons, which are the complete, infective form of a virus outside a host cell, with a core of RNA or DNA and a capsid, that vary in length with the longest being 14000 nm (12). The Ebola virus is also coated by a helical nucleocapsid, which is a protein coat and the nucleic acid that is enclosed in it (12). This helical nucleocapsid also encloses a host cell membrane. This host cell membrane is a lipoprotein unit that surrounds the virus (12). The helical nucleocapsid is derived from the host cell’s membrane (12). The Ebola virus is made up of a nucleoprotein, a glycoprotein, a polymerase, 7 polypeptides, and 4 undesignated proteins (12). The genome of Ebola consists of a single strand of negative RNA. Negative RNA is noninfectious itself. The original genome is 3’ untranslated region, nucleoprotein, viral structured protein, VP35, VP40 glycoprotein, VP30, VP24, polymerase (L), 5’ untranslated region (12). The Ebola virus resides in the proteins that contain carbohydrate chains covalently attached to their polypeptide side chains, also known as glycoproteins (10). The structure of the virus is identifies as a putative receptor-binding site on a glycoprotein (10). This is isolated in the bowl structure of the glycoprotein trimer and is masked by a glycan cap domain and an unstructured mucin-like domain (10). Mucins are heavily glycosylated proteins (10). The Ebola virus attaches to and enters new host cells; this shields the surface of

immune cells (10).

The Complications of Ebola: A Disastrous Disease
We currently are experiencing an Ebola outbreak in our world. The issue with Ebola is that there is no known cure for this disease. There is, however, a drug currently being tested as a source of curing the disease. This drug is called ZMapp (16). ZMapp is a serum administered through injection. ZMapp is made up of genetically engineered antibodies that boost the person infected’s immune system to fight off Ebola (16). ZMapp is a combination of serums made by two different people (16). MB-003 was developed by a firm called Mapp Biopharmaceutical, and is one of the serums used in the ZMapp drug (16). ZMAb was made by a company named Defyrus Inc. and is the creator of the second serum (16). On October 28, 2014 the Swiss Regulatory Agency for Therapeutic Products has decided to approve the Ebola vaccine for trial at Lausanne University Hospital (17).
A major complication with Ebola is that this disease disrupts our immune systems (17). This prevents our antibodies produced by our immune system from defending our body against the virus (15). There was a recent discovery in the Ebola virus’ ways of destroying our immune systems. A few of the doctors at Washington University School of Medicine with collaborates from the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas found exactly what the Ebola disease does to take over our system (9). The research concludes that the Ebola Virus pathogen is associated with amino acid substitutions in the structural protein VP24 (14). The replicated recombinant DNA of Ebola carries a type of VP24 that is mutated and prevents the transcription factor of STAT1 (9). The main issue with Ebola is that this virus prevents the body’s immune system from response to the disease (9). The VP24 antagonist is the pathogen that prevents the immune response to this virus. The normal function of the STAT1 is to travel into the nucleus through two distinct branches of an interferon pathway to activate the protein which initiates the antiviral responses of the immune system (9). The Ebola virus pathogen of VP24, when attached to the STAT1, prevents the response from being able to travel to the nucleus (9). Scientists have been researching how VP24 works to prevent the travel of the STAT1 into the nucleus. Scientists say that when they find the way that VP24 disrupts this process, they will be more likely to find a better cure for the Ebola virus (9). In addition with being associated to VP24, the Ebola virus has been proposed to be linked with the membranes that are important for assembly and function of the viral ribonucleoprotein complex where VP24 binds to the viral ribonucleoprotein and suppresses additional immune signals but is hardly understood by scientists (12).
The Current West African Outbreak
The current outbreak of Ebola in the country of West Africa has spiraled out of control. The outbreak as of November 20, 2014 contained a total number of cases in West Africa of 15,113 and a total of 5,406 deaths (1). The case was thought to be originated by a child in Guinea eating a bat which is a reservoir of this disease (1). A reservoir is a host of a disease that isn’t affected by the disease. In other words, the bat caused the disease in the people because the disease is natural in bats but not expressed as a disease. The disease started in this patient, named “Patient Zero”, and then spread to his mother and grandmother who died from the disease (11). The disease spread across to Sierra Leone through small villages (11). The outbreak has been spreading like a wildfire. This outbreak is the 25th outbreak of Ebola since the originally outbreak in 1976 at the Ebola river (1). This case has also been the most deadly epidemic of Ebola (1).
Key Facts about Ebola
There are several key facts about Ebola that are important to our everyday health. One important key is that travel warnings have been issued for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (4). This is important in that Ebola is spread by contact of bodily fluids (6). People who travel frequently in areas with the disease should be cautious and implement good hygiene habits to keep from getting the disease. Another key fact is that main entry points to the United States from West Africa screen for Ebola cases as seen in the image to the left (6). This means for those who travel, it is best to be prepared for a long stop at the airport to be screened for the disease. Anyone traveling from these places should plan flights around these procedures for time saving reasons, if needed.
One key fact that is important to the diagnosis of Ebola is that early symptoms are equivalent to those of other common viral infections (1). The Ebola virus causes symptoms that are very similar to our common influenza virus or others. Ebola causes symptoms such as red eyes, nausea, diarrhea, cough, chest pain, weight loss, bleeding, and bruising (1). The Ebola virus can be potentially fatal as well. This escalates the seriousness of the disease by a lot. There is no cure to this disease, as we speak, but scientists are working to create an effective and safe cure that is easy to distribute to people around the world.
The final key fact about Ebola is that it is extremely infectious but not extremely contagious (4). The virus can only be spread by contact of bodily fluids, like stated above, so the virus isn’t that easy to spread. People should be precautious when around people who feel sick but should not immediately freak out. As of now, the virus has not become aerosolized so it cannot be spread by being in “breathing distance” from someone with the disease (4). It is infectious, however (4). An infinitesimally small amount can cause illness (4). Laboratory experiments on nonhuman primates suggest that even a single virus may be enough to trigger a fatal infection (4).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Ebola virus has been spreading rapidly in this short time span. I hope that this paper has helped to inform you and keep you safe from this fatal virus.