Scientists at the University of Liverpool studied the Zaire Ebola strain, which is responsible for the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and found that subsequent transmission of the virus has caused it to 'hot up' and become more severe.
The research team analyzed the viruses at different stages in an animal system to understand how it gains strength when it spreads from animals to humans and then from human-to-human contact. They were able to identify several changes in its genetic material that were associated with increased disease. They found that initially the animal systems were not affected by the deadly virus, but subsequent transmission into other animals caused it to become more severe.
Ebola Virus Disease
Ebola is caused by a virus via direct contact with body fluids or infected blood. Scientists have identified five types of Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.
Advertisement
Researcher Julian Hiscox explained, "We were able to show through genetic analysis which parts of the virus are involved in this process and the information we have gathered will now allow us to monitor for such changes in an outbreak as well as develop future treatment strategies."
Researcher Roger Hewson said, "Ebola virus is such a devastating infection to the people affected by the disease and the economy of West Africa. Scientists understanding of Ebola virus biology is way behind that of other viruses and our collaboration shows how we can bring together specialists skills to close this knowledge gap."
![WHO Reports Significant Drop in Ebola Cases in West Africa]( "WHO Reports Significant Drop in Ebola Cases in West Africa")
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a significant drop in the Ebola cases in the three West African countries.
Co-author Miles Carroll noted that this study has allowed the team to be at the forefront of developing methodologies to analyze patient samples recently taken by the European Mobile Laboratory from West Africa to understand disease evolution during the current outbreak.
The study has been published in the journal Genome Biology.
Source: Medindia
WHO Reports Significant Drop in Ebola Cases in West Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a significant drop in the Ebola cases in the three West African countries.
Advertisement
Co-author Miles Carroll noted that this study has allowed the team to be at the forefront of developing methodologies to analyze patient samples recently taken by the European Mobile Laboratory from West Africa to understand disease evolution during the current outbreak.
The study has been published in the journal Genome Biology.
Source: Medindia
World Bank Trims Estimates of Economic Damage of the Ebola Epidemic
With Ebola now broadly contained, the World Bank trimmed its estimates of economic damage of the Ebola epidemic to $6.2 billion.
Advertisement
 Ebola Tested Negative but Haemorrhagic Fever Alert in Gujarat and RajasthanA patient admitted to AIIMS with fear of Ebola tested negative but alerts have been raised in Gujarat and Rajasthan. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Tropical Disease News
Mumbai's TechInvention Lifecare and South Korean Eubiologics team up to introduce oral cholera vaccine in India after successful phase III clinical trial.
Scientists have found that the dengue virus has become more severe in India, highlighting the urgent need for vaccines that target the strains found in the country.
It is important to consider malarial infection in cases of acute kidney injury in someone with a travel history from endemic areas to improve treatment outcomes.
Ghana approves the use of the University of Oxford's malaria vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), becoming the first country to adopt the new vaccine.
The dengue virus combines molecules from its RNA with mosquito saliva to foil the human immune system and spread dengue fever and related diseases.