Fun Facts About Ebola

'Ebola' is both the common term used to describe a group of viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, and the common name for the disease which they cause, Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

The viruses are characterised by a long, filamentous morphology and surrounded by a lipid viral envelope.

Ebolaviruses are morphologically similar to the Marburg virus, also in the family Filoviridae, and share similar disease symptoms. It has caused a number of serious and highly publicized outbreaks since its discovery, as well as featuring as the gruesome antagonist in many forms of entertainment.

Ebola is believed to be a zoonotic virus. Despite considerable effort by the World Health Organization no animal reservoir capable of sustaining the virus between outbreaks has been identified. However, it has been hypothesized that the most likely candidate is the fruit bat.

In the absence of knowing where the reservoir lies, the World Health Organization has taken serious steps to ensure that all known Biosafety Level 4 agents (including Ebola) are carefully and properly contained.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is potentially lethal and encompasses a range of symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, general body pain, internal and external bleeding, and fever. Mortality rates are generally high, ranging from 50% - 90%, with the cause of death usually due to hypovolemic shock or organ failure.

Because Ebola is potentially lethal and since no approved vaccine or treatment is available, Ebola is classified as a biosafety level 4 agent, as well as a Category A bioterrorism agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It has the potential to be weaponized for use during biological warfare and was investigated for this particular use by both the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War. Its efficacy as a biological-warfare agent is compromised by its extreme lethality and its quickness: a typical outbreak spreads through a small village or hospital, kills everyone there, and runs out of potential hosts, burning out before it reaches a larger community.

thanks.

I worked in a lab for 9 years that tested monkey blood for all the Ebola viri (including Marburg) and several of my coworkers worked in the high containment lab with the LIVE stuff. (Yes they are still alive). ANd yeah, we got a couple of positives which made us sweat I tell you...

and their role in the Reson, VA monkey house Ebola Reston outbreak.
:scared:

Have you read "The Hot Zone?"

who worked at USAMRIID. They may know those folk but I was on the safer level of serum testing.
Never wanted to read the Hot Zone. Testing for Marburg, Zaire and Sudan was scary enough for me, and actually my lab (before my time though) did the testing that helped establish the existence of Ebola Reston.:hide:

:scared:

The Ebola virus originally evolved from a tollbooth worker from Delaware. This explains the natural tendency of the virus to migrate towards Dover.

:scared:

Marburg virus (also a filovirus) kills about 50% of its victims.

The other known Ebola strains kill between 50% and 90% of the victims.

Ebola Zaire is a slate wiper. Scary stuff.

I suggest that you read "The Hot Zone." It is the true story of the scientists who study and track filoviruses and other level 4 viruses. I just read it again this past weekend.

An Ebola virus almost 100% lethal to monkeys in the open air of Virginia-humans not affected by it)

when the keepers cleaned the cages with hoses. :scared:

The feds want to locate a federally funded bio research lab for viruses, bacteria and other pathogens at UGA in Athens, GA. It will be just a mile or so from my house. I hope we get the lab because it will mean that a lot of really good jobs will be created here and a lot of research monies will be pumped into the facility and our community. We are competeing against 4 other cities.

I think the scientists who research and hunt these viruses are real heroes!

If any of these level 4 viruses become airborne the overpopulation problem will be suddenly and abruptly solved. :(

Especially with that virus they found in Reston

:scared:

BTW, I've never been to Deleware but I know I'd like it there! ;)
(I did go to Wilmington, NC this past weekend!)

Which if HIV only hits level II it really makes you :scared: at just what horrors can be found at IV

Delaware is a wonderful state - these guys just love talking smack to me

:cry:

:hug:

I really want to tour the Northeast. I've been to NYC and Chicago and DC but I've never seen the the rest of the Northeast and Midwest. I have friends who are from NJ. I'd love to visit the Jersey shore someday. The USA is just so darned big. I have a lot of places on my want to go there list!

Delaware Park has trained a few great race horses including Barbaro and Afleet Alex. However if you're training show horses you definately want to check out the Devon Horse show, which is right over the border in Pennsylvania

http://www.thedevonhorseshow.com/content/capital_campaign.aspx

A smaller horse event would be the Winterthur Point-to-Point which is in Wilmington. It's a big horse event

http://www.winterthur.org/calendar/point_to_point.asp

I ride English hunter and dressage and I'm going to train my horse for the hunters and for dressage. I haven't backed her yet. I'm finishing up her ground training while she's finishing her growing.

Poor Barbarao. :cry: There is a good article in a recent Vanity Fair about him and the people who tried to save him. I've seen a horse suffer and eventually have to be put down because of severe founder. It was awful.

My mare Cotton's dam is a thoroughbred and Cotton's grand dam was a race horse down in FL and LA.
I've never been to a thoroughbred horse race. Georgia doesn't have horse racing and I'm usually never in NOLA when the racetrack is open. I hope to go the races down in Florida next year. There is a winter training track for trotters and pacers down in Hawkinsville, GA. I went down there last year and had a blast watching the training races (no betting 'cause it's in Georgia!)

Thanks again for the links! :) :hi:

edit: Look: here's a photo of The Boss at Devon (his daughter rides):


edit: I was close to Deleware once: I flew into the Newark, NJ airport on two occasions! ;)

Smarty Jones was a Philadelphia Park trained horse.

I mean, these aren't Belmont, Preakness or Kentucky Derby but they are some great preliminary sites to see up and coming horses

HIV is considered BioSafety Level 3 actually. Although it can occasionally be handled in level 2 conditions. My lab that tested for Ebola was BioSafety level two.

first 2 returns said II

That's why it's transmitted via bodily fluids only, and not via, say, toilet seats, coughing or germy hands.

Epidemiologists seem to agree that The Hot Zone was way-overblown and sensational in its delivery of the facts. :shrug:

which lead me to do more research and reading ont he subjest of Level 2 - 4 viruses and pathogens.

The CDC is located in Atlanta, not too far away from my city. My city may be getting a federally funded virus and pathogen research lab.

Of course, the Yellow Pages are more interesting than Delaware. As long as it's not the Delaware Yellow Pages. :P

:hide:

Is it because I had 10th row for Roger Waters and YOU didn't

:hide:

That's exactly it. (actually, I am totally jealous about that and the fact that you saw him THREE times! x( )

Actually, its not you - its the fact that I had to show my damn receipt last time I crossed the frigging Delaware Bridge! :grr:

:P

I bought a bunch of stuff at Macy's Home Center. Since the packages were large in size they had to take them down to customer pick-up for me and I could bring my car around to get the purchases.

The person manning Customer pick-up asked for my receipt (even though my items were right there on the cart AND the guy who brought the cart down knew they were my purchases). I started to laugh so hard those 2 thought I was nuts or something

Yeah, thats fun. :rofl:

:pals:

Hell if I'm going to jail for a damn receipt

:hide:

:7

Moo-hoo-ha-ha!