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Ebola Virus Is A Serious Virus Disease

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Ebola Virus is a serious transmitted disease by both humans and animals. The disease first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in Nzara, Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the virus received its name. Ebola Virus is a member of the negative stranded RNA viruses known as filoviruses. There are currently, five different strains of the Ebola Virus including, Zaire (EBOV), Sudan (SUDV), Bundibuguyo (BDBV), Taï Forest (TAFV) and Reston (RESTV). Each of the strains of the virus are very closely related including Reston which only effects animals. Yet, Ebola Zaire is the most highly virulent subtype, often leading to death. All of the different types of the virus are extremely dangerous and often cause death if untreated.

Description:

Ebola is an acute, infectious, hemorrhagic viral fever. It is an enveloped, single stranded, unsegmented, negative sense RNA virus. The genomes (complete set of genes) of the five different Ebola viruses differ in sequence and the number and location of gene overlaps. Ebola virons are filamentous particles that can appear in the shape of a shepherd’s crook, a “6”, a “U”, coiled, toroid or branched. The virons of the disease are roughly 80 nm (nanometers) in width and can be as long as 14,000 nm. Yet the average length of a viron is approximately 920 nm.

Transmission:

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