Ebola disease is caused by a highly contagious virus. The virus was first identified in 1976, and it affects humans along with non-human primate animals. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a rare and deadly disease that can be found in people and nonhuman primates. The viruses that cause Ebola are located mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly West African Nations. The virus was first discovered in Guinea, where it then spread to Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Because of the time frame between symptoms and diagnosis, there are many sufferers who cannot get medical support in time. The standard diagnostic test used to determine Ebola, or Ebola Ventricular Drain (EVD) is known as, Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction. (Amladi, 2018 pg. 1 paragraph 3)
Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, or (RT-PCR).
This microbiological technique isolates the potential threats by using dyes to highlight the sample by using what is known as the polymerase chain reaction. Essentially, the process marks each DNA strand to make it viable, while isolation each DNA strand only allowing the sequence to be complete after the corresponding components match. This method is used because it can detect very small levels of the virus and it requires a very small amount of blood to conduct a thorough test. The amount of blood needed will vary based on age. An adult will need to provide a 4 ml blood sample, while children only need to provide 1ml of blood. The samples are preserved in a solution of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or EDTA for short. During the extraction process, serum and plasma may not be removed from the test container. In order for the specimens to remain intact they must be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius. Ebola can be contracted from interactions with an infected human, non-human primate or infected fruit bat. One of the contributing factors is diet. (Patrick, 2014 of. 6 paragraph 1) is in close vanity to potentially affecting people or animals, and will be more likely to become ill. There is no contributing factor of age, as it can be contracted by anyone from a child to an adult. This most recent outbreak was in Sierra Leone in March of 2016. It took until June of the same year to be declared free of the disease. There were 325 deaths.
Ebola is a virus that attacks the immune system, but has the ability to attack and infect other organs and other regions of the body. The immune system is made up of many segments that create a network that is designed to protect your body. The main components associated to your immune system are the lymphatic system, the spleen, thymes and bone marrow (Rollin, 2018 paragraph 3). The spleen is the organ that is the most susceptible to EVD. This is because it is the organ that supports blood clotting, and regulates the required proteins. It is a main component for immune system support. Once this is damaged, it makes it difficult for the body to repair itself, or create the necessary fluids it requires for sustainability. The next organ that is most likely to be effects and damage from the EVD, are the kidneys. Ebola has multiple effects on the body. L Falasca et. Al states that, EVD causes the liver, lungs and kidneys to not function properly by causing the blood vessels to leak fluid into other tissues near to the affected organs. Because of the varying death rate, the prognosis of Ebola can prove to be a challenge. With a mortality rate of 25%-100% early diagnosis is imperative for survival. (Agrati, 2018 paragraph 4 ).
References
Center of Disease Control and Prevention, "Ebola Virus Disease, (2014), Published by ,U.S. Department of Health Services
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html
Divya Amladi, "What is Ebola? We answer all of your questions about Ebola and how we're helping fight its spread." (2018), published by Oxfam
https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/what-is-ebola/?hsa_tgt=kwd-1329078705&hsa_grp=63809181288&hsa_src=g&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=b&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=289257346924&hsa_acc=5359888318&hsa_kw=what%20is%20ebola&hsa_cam=1523849928&gclid=CjwKCAiA_omPBhBBEiwAcg7smZrKeaFJzW8sxtzfQkzDjvncB4_xN3bapjjEc_zXiGd386uHNnejShoCkXMQAvD_BwE
L Falasca, C Agrati, [...], and M Piacentini, "Molecular mechanisms of Ebola virus pathogenesis: focus on cell death", (2018) published by, ncbi
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4495366/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20the%20immune,help%20the%20blood%20to%20clot.
Mahanty S, Hutchinson K, Agarwal S, McRae M, Rollin PE, Pulendran B. Cutting edge: impairment of dendritic cells and adaptive immunity by Ebola and Lassa viruses. J Immunol. 2003;170:2797–2801. [PubMed]
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD, Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever "Ebola Virus Disease" (2014) published by mednet
https://www.medicinenet.com/ebola_hemorrhagic_fever_ebola_hf/article.htm
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