Ebola Flashcards
What is the pathogen that causes Ebola?
Filovirus: filamentous, enveloped, ssRNA virus
Family: Filoviridae
What are the 2 Genotypes of the Filoviridae family and the 5 subtypes of the Ebola Genus?
Marburg Virus Ebola Virus 1. Zaire 2. Sudan 3. Tai Forest 4. Budinbugyo 5. Reston
Reston Subtype
Low human pathogenicity
Localized to Asia
These 4 Ebola subtypes are pathogenic to humans
Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest, Budinbugyo
Ebola Zaire Virus
most lethal to humans
caused the outbreak in 2014 (28,000 deaths)
Ebola and Marburg cause
hemorrhagic fever
How were filoviruses identified?
Lab workers in Europe became ill after handling tissues and fluids from dead African Green Monkeys
Incubation period for Ebola
4-16 days
What other symptoms are associated to Filoviral Hemorrhagic Fever?
- multiple hemorrhagic manifestations
- marked hepatic involvement, renal damage
- coagulation disorders
- shock
What does it mean that Ebola causes changes in vascular permeability?
Ebola causes changes in vascular permeability, making blood vessels “leaky” allowing fluids and other substances to leak out causing a fluid/electrolyte imbalance.
What is DIC? How is it related to Ebola?
DIC = disseminated intravascular coagulation. Activation of the clotting cascade depleting all the available clotting factors resulting in hemorrhage.
- No lab proof that this is the case in Ebola but something similar is going on.
- Doctors do this with Coumadin = anticoagulant*
How is necrosis related to death in Ebola?
The is some necrosis in the organs of ebola victims but it is not enough to cause death.
Where is hemorrhage most prominent in Ebola infected individuals?
GI tract, due to endothelial cell damage (lining of blood vessels).
Signs: bloody diarrhea.
Pathogenesis of Ebola
- dysfunction of fluid/electrolyte balance
- platelet fn is affected (delayed clotting time)
- release of inflammatory cytokines (increases permeability of BV)
