Ebola hemorrhagic

fever

Maxime xxx DCEM1

Toulouse Purpan medical school
24th March 2009
 Overview

Pathophysiology

Medical aspects
− Symptoms
− Diagnosis
− Treatments
− Prevention

Ebola and bioterrorism

Ebola and culture
 Pathophysiology

5 to 10 particles necessary to
infection

Incubation in cells (2 to 21 days)


Invasion of blood, platelet cells

Clots => grip to vessels' walls =>
irrigation reduced => organ
necrosis

Collagen destruction => coats of
skin destroyed => spontaneous
wounds

Same process with all organs
www.getwellnatural.com
 Medical aspects
Symptoms

High fever, severe headache,

muscle, joint, abdominal pain

Weakness, sore throat, nausea,
dizziness => often mistaken

Diarrhea, vomiting, red eyes,
nabc.ksu.edu
rash, purpura

Organ damage (kidney, liver,
spleen)


Internal, external hemorrhages

Hypotension, hypovolemia,
tachycardia => shock => death

medicineworld.org
 Medical aspects
Diagnosis

Samples (blood, saliva, urine)

ELISA, PCR, virus isolation

Serology (IgM, IgG) later in
course of disease or after
recovery (rare)


Immunohistochemystry testing,
PCR, virus isolation on
deceased patients www.johnallengilljunior.info
 Medical aspects
Treatment

No remedial treatment, only
supportive

Balancing fluids and electrolytes

Maintaining oxygen status,
blood pressure, respiratory
function

Coagulation factors

Treatment against
complications

Ribavirin, interferon ineffective

Morpholino antisense drugs wwwimage.cbsnews.com

75% recovery rate on monkeys

 Medical aspects
Prevention

Challenge: identity and

location of natural
reservoir unknown

Social and economic
conditions

Quarantine of infected
villages

Infected patients in
separated huts

Burning bodies and huts www.unforgivingminute.com
after death
 Medical aspects
Prevention

CDC and WHO: Infection

Control for Viral Haemorrhagic
Fevers in the African Health
Care Setting

Barrier nursing techniques
(masks, gloves, gowns)


Infection-control measures
(equipment sterilization)


Isolation of patients
www.cdc.gov
 Ebola and bioterrorism

China and Russia experiment

Ebola virus

Virus too violent => death
before spread

Ken Alibek (ancient soviet
researcher) Russia combined
smallpox virus and Ebola virus

France: 1 laboratory (Lyon)
security level 4
 Ebola and Culture

High virulence, high mortality

rate, impressive symptoms =>
incarnation of fear of biological
war

Subject of movies and books

Executive Orders by Tom
Clancy

28 days later's director drawn
inspiration from Ebola

Resident Evil (T-virus)

 Take Home Message

Terrible lethal virus

No cure

Only improvement of
health conditions and
more research will
eradicate it
static.guim.co.uk
 Bibliography

www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola.htm

www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001339.htm

www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ebola-hemorrhagic

www.virus-ebola.com/

www.dhpe.org/infect/ebola.html