Ebolavirus

Ebolavirus is a genus of viruses in the family Filoviridae, Mononegavirales order. It is named after the Ebola River, where the first outbreak of Ebola disease occurred. The viruses are known for causing severe disease in humans and nonhuman primates in the form of viral hemorrhagic fevers.

Overview

Ebolaviruses are single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses. The genus contains five species: Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, Tai Forest ebolavirus, Bundibugyo ebolavirus, and Reston ebolavirus. The first four are known to cause disease in humans, while the Reston species has so far only caused disease in nonhuman primates.

Transmission and symptoms

Ebolaviruses are transmitted through direct contact with blood, body fluids, and tissues of infected persons or wild animals. The incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is from 2 to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

Prevention and treatment

Prevention includes reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission and human-to-human transmission. No FDA-approved vaccine or medicine is available for Ebola. Symptoms are treated as they appear, which can improve survival.

See also

• Ebola virus disease
• Viral hemorrhagic fever
• Filoviridae
• Mononegavirales

References

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