What species are affected by Ebola?
EVD most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). It is caused by an infection with a group of viruses within the genus Ebolavirus: Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus) Sudan virus (species Sudan ebolavirus)
Are viruses part of natural selection?
Key points: Viruses undergo evolution and natural selection, just like cell-based life, and most of them evolve rapidly. When two viruses infect a cell at the same time, they may swap genetic material to make new, “mixed” viruses with unique properties. For example, flu strains can arise this way.
Does Ebola affect certain populations?
Of 937 household members in 94 households, 448 (48%) had had EVD. Highly correlated with exposure, EVD risk ranged from 83% for touching a corpse to 8% for minimal contact and varied by age group: 43% for children <2 years of age; 30% for those 5–14 years of age; and >60% for adults >30 years of age.
What is the natural host of Ebola virus?
It is considered that the natural host of Ebola virus is a bat, and it causes a fatal clinical condition in go- rillas and chimpanzees as well as humans. People were infected by touching body fluids of blood, secretions, vomit, and other discharges from patients with EVD.
Why Is Ebola a zoonotic disease?
Ebola is a deadly zoonotic disease that is thought to have originated in fruit bats, which then contaminated other animals before the virus reached humans.
What animals are susceptible to Ebola and experience high mortality rates?
Ebola viruses have also been detected in species such as non-human primates (apes and monkeys), and duikers (a small wild antelope). However, non-human primates are not considered as natural hosts because of their high sensitivity to the virus and their high mortality rate when infected.
How does disease affect natural selection?
From an evolutionary perspective, infectious diseases have probably been the primary agent of natural selection over the past 5000 years, eliminating human hosts who were more susceptible to disease and sparing those who were more resistant.
How does variation affect natural selection?
Genetic variations that alter gene activity or protein function can introduce different traits in an organism. If a trait is advantageous and helps the individual survive and reproduce, the genetic variation is more likely to be passed to the next generation (a process known as natural selection).
What populations are most at risk of being affected by Ebola?
People most at risk are those who care for infected people, such as aid workers, or those who handle their blood or body fluid, such as hospital workers, laboratory workers and family members. For the latest on Ebola in Africa see the World Health Organization’s information on the Ebola virus.
What population is most affected by Ebola?
Fast facts: 2014 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak
- The outbreak lasted from March 2014 to June 2016.
- Most people affected by the outbreak were in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
- 28,616 people were suspected or confirmed to be infected; 11,310 people died.
What species of bats carry Ebola?
Among the various animals captured and analyzed, three species of fruit bats (suborder Megachiroptera) were found asymptomatically and naturally infected with Ebola virus: Hypsignathus monstrosus (hammer-headed fruit beats), Epomops franqueti (singing fruit bats), and Myonycteris torquata (little collared fruit bats).