Meet Ebolavirus! This is arguably one of the most talked about viruses in part because it is one of the most deadly.
Ebolavirus is part of the filoviridae family and is a curved filamentous particle usually about 970nm in length and 80nm in diameter. Ebolaviruses have a viral envelope (filled with the glycoproteins GP1/2), a viral capsid (VP40/VP24), and nucleoprotein surrounding their RNA genomes. The glycoprotein is thought to assist in cell-binding and internalization. The virus expresses its own RNA polymerase and carries its own transcription factors/cofactors (VP30/VP35) which allows it to produce its genome without the help of the host cell.
There are 6 known ebolavirus species each named after the region is which they were identified (Bundibugyo, Reston, Sudan, Taï Forest, and Zaire), 4 or 5 of which cause disease in humans. There are 3 species of fruit bat that are likely the main reservoirs of ebolavirus.
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms can begin between 2 days and 3 weeks after contracting the virus (what an incubation period!)- fever, sore throat, muscular pain, and headaches. This progresses into vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and internal/external bleeding.
The mortality rate of each EVD varies greatly by species but is, in general, very deadly. Zaire ebolavirus has the highest mortality rate – in some epidemics it has been recorded as high as 90%. Death usually occurs between 2 and 16 days after symptom onset.
Naturally, a race to understand, cure, and vaccinate against ebolaviruses is high priority. The incredibly dangerous nature of these viruses, and the mystery of the bat-human transmission makes research slower than with other diseases. Despite all of this, an Ebola vaccine was approved in the US at the end of 2019, and another by the EC in 2020.
Posted on Instagram on March 1, 2021.