The Pathogenesis of Ebola Virus

Pathogens have adverse effects on the health of humans and remain a major concern in public health. Among all the pathogens, Ebola virus is considered a very dangerous microbe because of the nature of the disease it causes. Its effects are experienced within 2-20 days after exposure with only minimal chances of recovering from the illnesses associated with it (Cook & Lee 2). The reason for selecting this pathogen to be the focus of this paper is because of the fatality of the resultant disease of Ebola which seems to be a threat to many people particularly those who visit central Africa.

Ebola Genome Organization

Ebola virus is classified under the family of viruses which are commonly referred to as Filoviridae. They further fall into five subtypes including, Reston, Tai forest, Sudan, Zaire, and Bundibugyo. Africa hosts three of the five subtypes of viruses: Sudan, Zaire and Bundibugyo while Reston is found in West Pacific and appear to be more pathogenic in nonhumans than in humans.

Structure of Ebola Virus

The viruses are approximated to be about 80 nm and 970 nm in diameter and length respectively. They are cylindrical in shape, enclosed in a viral envelope and nucleocapsid materials. Like all other filovirus particles, Ebola viruses form tube-like branches and filaments. Each particle constitutes single-stranded RNA surrounded by lipid membrane (Johnson et al. 32). Additionally, they are equipped with important structures of the glycoprotein which aid in attaching the organism to the host cells of humans and animals (Cook & Lee 4).

History of Discovery of the Virus

In Africa and particularly the western part of the continent, many people continued to perish from what many suspected to be yellow fever. It was after the graduation of Peter Piot and his colleagues in 1976 that the virus was identified to be the Ebola Virus (Harrod 308). The discovery occurred in the era when biosafety protocols were not as strict as they are today. Therefore, contamination was a serious threat to human health during and before the discovery of the virus.

Current Public Health Burden of Ebola

Since its discovery, Ebola virus caused the death of about 4,555 individuals out of the 9,216 people diagnosed so far. However, the virus epidemic has been prevalent in many parts of central and western Africa. Few incidences have been reported in other parts of the world including the U.S.A, United Kingdom and Italy (Jose et al. 1183). The mortality rate is estimated to be between 25% and 90% in individuals diagnosed with the virus.

Ebola virus, like other pathogens which have a far-reaching effect, has deleterious impacts on the socio-economic condition of countries, particularly in central Africa. Several issues emerge together with Ebola virus outbreak. Problems resulting from Ebola epidemic include impaired development and deterioration of education, health, and quality of services from organizations (Roemer-Mahler & Rushton 374).

Ebola Epidemiology

Understanding the manner in which viruses are spread play a critical role in controlling them. In the case of Ebola virus, bats and apes are considered the main culprits for the spread of the virus. These animals contaminate human living environment and foods such as fruits and vegetables (Ebola Outbreak Epidemiology Team 217). Other common ways in which Ebola virus dissemination occurs is through the consumption of animals, both domestic and wild.

While animals have been treated as the scapegoats for the spread of the virus, human beings have a significant role in transmitting the virus. Through sexual intercourse and contact with body fluids and substances such as semen, urine, blood and fecal matter, the virus is transferred from one individual to another (Pavlik et al. 43).

Ebola Virus Lifecycle

The virus begins by attaching itself using the glycoprotein on the receptor cell (white blood cell) or host and attacks the immune system of an animal or human. Once it has gained entry, the transcription process is initiated in the substrate ((Pavlik et al. 44). It then undergoes budding a point which leads to loss of attachment with the substrate, hence exiting the host cell. The process repeats itself until the virus has spread between individuals.

Immune Response

Ebola virus attaches itself on to the white blood cells which are important in supporting a healthy immune system. Lymphocytes die leaving the body prone to the spread of the pathogen leading to death especially in extreme cases (Ebola Outbreak Epidemiology Team 213). However, some individuals survive and in the course of fighting these disease-causing microbes, lymphocytes levels remain high throughout.

Pathology, Treatment, and Vaccination

Ebola is an uncommon but one of the most deadly viruses in nature, capable of killing in a matter of days. After exposure, the virus manifests itself through body aches, abdominal pain, sore throat and bleeding both externally and internally (Harrod 310). A diagnosis of the patient through a blood test is conducted to ascertain that it is not malaria or cholera. Blood transfusion, oxygen supply, and blood pressure treatment then follow. These activities are aimed at managing the virus and the resultant disease. Despite the virus presenting imminent challenges to the public health of the aforementioned countries, there is no licensed vaccine against the pathogen. However, there is the proposed DNA vaccine, recombinant proteins and recombinant viral vectors are some of the projects which are underway.

Works Cited

Cook, Jonathan D., and Jeffrey E. Lee. “The Secret Life of Viral Entry Glycoproteins: Moonlighting in Immune Evasion.” PLoS Pathogens, vol. 9, no. 5, May 2013, pp. 1–5.

Ebola Outbreak Epidemiology Team. “Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, April-May, 2018: An Epidemiological Study.” Lancet, vol. 392, no. 10143, July 2018, pp. 213–221.

Harrod, Kevin S. “Ebola: History, Treatment, and Lessons from a New Emerging Pathogen.” American Journal of Physiology: Lung Cellular & Molecular Physiology, vol. 308, no. 4, Feb. 2015, pp. 307–313.

Johnson, Reed F., et al. “Effect of Ebola Virus Proteins GP, NP and VP35 on VP40 VLP Morphology.” Virology Journal, vol. 3, Jan. 2006, pp. 31–37.

Jose, Rupa, et al. “The Importance of the Neighborhood in the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in the United States: Distress, Worry, and Functioning.” Health Psychology, vol. 36, no. 12, Dec. 2017, pp. 1181–1185.

Pavlik, Ivo, et al. “Ebola: History and Some Implications for Africa.” Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica, vol. 51, no. 2, June 2018, pp. 41–49.

Roemer-Mahler, Anne, and Simon Rushton. “Introduction: Ebola and International Relations.” Third World Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 3, Mar. 2016, pp. 373–379.