0:00 In this video we are going to look at Ebola virus. 0:14 Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease, formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic 0:21 fever. 0:22 And this is a very dangerous and often fatal disease in humans. 0:27 The Ebola virus is a member of the filoviridae family, a family known to cause 0:33 viral hemorrhagic 0:34 fever, which is a type of fever that causes shock and even death with severe 0:40 bleeding. 0:42 If we look at the Ebola structure, it has cell membrane and it has nuclear 0:46 proteins 0:46 inside itself and an outer glycoprotein. 0:52 The genetic material, which is RNA, is within the nuclear protein. 0:57 Ebola also has an enzyme called polymerase, which helps in its replication. 1:03 Other important structures that we must note include VP40 and VP30, which 1:09 essentially 1:10 help in viral replication. 1:13 Now let's learn a bit more about how the Ebola virus is transmitted to humans. 1:19 The transmission of the Ebola virus to humans happens through infected animals, 1:26 such as 1:27 fruit bats. 1:29 Fruit bats carry the Ebola virus and then the Ebola virus can be introduced to 1:34 humans through 1:35 close contact with the fruit bat's blood, secretions or other bodily fluids. 1:42 So let's see how the Ebola virus first infects this animal, the fruit bat. 1:49 So here I'm drawing a cell of a fruit bat and the goal of the Ebola virus is to 1:54 replicate 1:55 within the fruit bat's cell, causing an infection. 2:00 The Ebola virus here, as I mentioned, contains an outer glycoprotein. 2:05 Now the bat's cell can recognize this glycoprotein and will think that it's 2:12 normal. 2:13 And so this is a way the Ebola virus can enter the fruit bat's cell. 2:19 Once the Ebola virus enters the cell, the Ebola virus will release all its 2:24 content, the genetic 2:26 material, the nuclear proteins and the polymerase. 2:31 So what happens essentially is that the genetic material will be replicated and 2:37 as well the 2:37 genetic material will undergo a few processes called transcription and 2:41 translation, which 2:42 will create other structures that the virus requires. 2:49 To put it into very simple terms, the Ebola virus basically hijacks the cell 2:54 and replicates 2:55 within it. 2:56 And once it replicates all its content and all its genetic material, it will 3:00 all be packaged 3:01 up again to create multiple Ebola viruses. 3:06 So here we have multiple Ebola viruses. 3:10 So you can imagine the Ebola virus just keeps replicating within the fruit bat. 3:15 The fruit bat's internal body is an optimal environment for Ebola virus 3:19 replication. 3:21 The now infected fruit bat can then transmit the Ebola virus to a susceptible 3:28 human. 3:29 The Ebola can then spread in the community through human-to-human transmission, 3:35 with 3:35 the infection resulting from direct content, from blood or other bodily fluids. 3:42 Family and friends of the infected individual are usually the most susceptible 3:46 because they 3:47 are the ones in most contact with the person. 3:50 Portally rates of Ebola infection are about 50 to 90 percent, so it's very 3:57 fatal. 3:58 So let's have a quick look at how the Ebola virus can replicate or can infect a 4:05 human. 4:06 So here we're looking at an immune cell. 4:08 An immune cell is important because immune cells help defend against viruses, 4:14 infections, 4:15 and other foreign bodies. 4:18 The Ebola virus can be eaten up by the immune cells. 4:22 However, within the immune cell, the Ebola virus can somehow replicate. 4:28 The immune cell is now infected, and as a result, the immune cell will secrete 4:34 inflammatory 4:35 molecules. 4:37 Inflammatory molecules will cause an inflammatory process. 4:42 The multiple Ebola viruses can then infect other cells and can bind onto also 4:48 glycoprotein 4:49 receptors and to the cell and replicate, similar to the replication process 4:55 within fruit bats. 4:58 So this process will keep continuing. 4:59 The Ebola virus will replicate within all these cells, creating more Ebola 5:04 virus. 5:05 And this is how the signs and symptoms of Ebola virus disease occurs. 5:12 The signs and symptoms of Ebola virus disease include fever, inflammation, 5:17 headache, and 5:18 sore throat. 5:21 Other progressive signs and symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired 5:27 kidney, 5:28 and impaired liver function. 5:31 The inflammatory molecules which are released by the immune cells, as well as 5:36 other cells 5:36 within the human body, can cause damage to vascular integrity, and this will 5:42 lead to 5:43 the hemorrhagic fever as we know it. 5:46 But hemorrhagic fever does not occur in all Ebola virus cases. 5:51 The incubation period that is the time interval from infection with the virus 5:54 to when the symptoms 5:55 occur is between 2 to 21 days. 6:01 When you diagnose Ebola virus disease, it is important to rule out other 6:04 similar diseases, 6:06 including malaria. 6:08 To diagnose Ebola virus disease, you can use methods such as ELISA, antigen 6:13 recognition 6:14 test, as well as PCR assay. 6:17 Prevention is, and will always be, the most important aspects when dealing with 6:22 infections. 6:23 Unfortunately, there is no vaccine against Ebola, or rather, there is no 6:29 licensed vaccine 6:31 for Ebola viruses. 6:34 Currently, isolation of infected persons, wearing protective clothing, and 6:39 using infection control 6:41 measures are the most important things in reducing the spread of Ebola virus 6:48 disease. 6:49 Thank you. 6:50 I hope you enjoyed this video.
