See part 2 of this post to learn what researchers are discovering today about Ebola.In the summer of 2014, the world watched as the largest Ebola outbreak documented unfolded across West Africa. While a number of vaccines have shown efficacy in conferring resistance in other species, there remains no FDA approved human vaccine currently. Despite the fact that these same factors may not ignite interest in the development of a vaccine (from an economical perspective), concerns over the potential that the virus may be utilized as a medium for bio-terrorism has been supporting the drive for creating a vaccine. Fortunately however, its rare appearance, minimal spread (as of 2006, ~1000 cases have occurred), as well as the remote locations of outbreaks in the past have limited widespread mortality. The lack of a known natural reservoir has made it particularly challenging to prevent outbreaks. Indeed, though bat species remain the strongest candidates, no infectious Ebola virus has yet been isolated from non-human animals despite substantial sampling from a number of species at outbreak sites. According to Feldmann et al (2004) because of past efforts to identify a reservoir, it can be assumed that the reservoir is either a rare species or that transmission within the reservoir species itself is less efficient. What continues to baffle researchers is the identification of a natural reservoir. With the exception of the Reston ebolavirus (which does not have human pathogenicity), all other types have resulted in human infection. Ivory Coast Ebolavirus (aka Taï Forest Ebolavirus), 1994.The name of the virus is derived from the river Ebola (which flows in the vicinity of Yambuku) and as is evident below, the types of the Ebola viruses are named after the respective regions in which their outbreaks first occurred: Since the first recorded outbreak in 1976 in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), a number of other outbreaks have occurred and isolates of those affected during these events have led to the identification of five types - the most recent of which has been identified during the latest outbreak in Bundibugyo District, Uganda, in 2007. Symptoms of Ebola virus emerge after a one to two week incubation period with infected individuals developing fever, diarrhea, vomiting, respiratory disorders, and hemorrhaging from numerous sites. Fredrick Murphy)Įbola virus (EBV), also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a zoonotic disease which carries a case fatality rate of up to 90 percent.

(Photo: US Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Fredrick Murphy, this thin section transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed some of the ultrastructural morphologic features displayed by the Ebola virus.

Ebola the natural and human history