Host Cell example essay topic

Disease- Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever- also known as: Green monkey fever It's going to be the next AIDS virus. There have been a few epidemics or outbreaks of this virus since it has been discovered. The first appearance of this deadly killer occurred in 1972 when a case surfaced in Tand ala, Zaire, although it was not fatal. First actual outbreak of the virus took place in 1976 on Yambukou, Zaire. This original strain is known as Ebola Zaire.

A total of 328 people were infected and 280 of those people became victims of the virus. The same year 284 cases were discovered and 141 became fatal Bacterial or Viral? It is a viral- study was inconclusive Contact: It is spread through close personal contact with a person who is very ill with the disease. Blood and body fluids contain large amounts of the virus. "Ebola's virulence may also serve to limit its spread: its victims die so quickly that they don't have a chance to spread an infection very far" Harmful Affects: 'The only sound is a choking in his throat as he continues to vomit while unconscious. The comes a sound like a bed sheet being torn in half, which is the sound of his bowels opening at the sphincter and venting blood.

The blood is mixed with his intestinal lining. He has sloughed off his gut. The lining of his intestines have come off and are being expelled along with huge amounts of blood. ' -- Excerpt from Richard Preston's The Hot Zone Causes Hemorrhagic fever, which begins 4-10 days after infection. ~ Fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, loss of appetite. As it progress: ~ Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, soar throat, chest pain, bleeding from body openings mostly because the body at this point can't clot or grow a scab to cover cut.

So manly you might just end up bleeding to death. Internal organs and skin will bleed to death. What the virus does: The virus cannot be classified as being either alive or dead and hence is usually classified as a "life form". The virus outside a cell lies dormant and waiting and when possible it attaches itself to a host cell. The host cell recognizes the virus attachment and enfolds the virus and allows the virus to enter into the interior of the cell. The virus having gained accesses to the interior of the cell 'switches on' and begins to replicate.

The virus uses the material from the cell to replicate and continues making copies of itself till the cell is literally crowded with viruses and at this point either the viruses start moving out of the cell or the cell bursts. The process of replicating continues within that cell till the cell is exhausted, consumed and destroyed. And so the process goes on. If enough cells are destroyed, the host dies. Life Span: It takes only 7 - 14 days for the virus to kill its host.

With this short period of time, the virus quickly commits suicide by killing its living source. This is the drastic difference between Ebola and AIDS. It takes years for AIDS to kill a person, while Ebola takes only a few days. AIDS has a greater ability to transmit to other person, while Ebola doesn't give itself the chance to transmit to other people. But if the virus ever became airborne, there is a definite possibility of an epidemic, and even a pandemic. Ebola infection is thought to have a 77% to 90% mortality rate.

Organisms: Each virus consists of a coiled strand of ribonucleic acid (RNA) contained in an envelope derived from host to host cell membrane that is covered with spikes. Treatment: There is no cure for infected people. At present, no vaccines are available. Prevent: . Continued work on the unknown vector (s) or reservoirs is necessary...

Improving public sanitation, health care and health education... Medical personnel must use isolation and barrier techniques in the treatment of Ebola patients (including gowns, masks, face shields, and eye protection)... Quarantining of infected, symptomatic people... Proper disposal of patient's wastes and corpses... Improving communications for reporting and coordination of outbreaks...

Restricting or surveying of international travel. Restricted sexual contact with infected or symptom free patients until no viral particles are present in genital secretions..