Science cartoon based on "Sexual transmission of Ebola Virus"

Sexual transmission of Ebola Virus

Ebola virus need no introduction. Ebola virus disease was known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. Till today, no promising treatment or vaccine is there to cure Ebola virus disease.

It is thought that fruit bats are natural Ebola virus hosts. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

Data on sexual transmission of Ebola viruses were lacking till now but work published by CPT Suzanne Mate, Ph.D., of U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), USA with the help of genomic analysis provide proof about positive conformation of sexual transmission. The paper published on 14^th Oct, 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine, provides molecular evidence of Ebola virus (EBOV) transmission between an EVD survivor and his female partner.

Reference: Suzanne E. Mate et al (2015), Molecular Evidence of Sexual Transmission of Ebola Virus. New England Journal of Medicine, 151014140151006 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1509773

 

Science cartoon based on New Pathological test for all viruses

VirScan: The new test could reveal every virus that's ever infected you

Identifying the viral infection is one of the important parts in the diagnosis. Generally it was possible  to find out the infection of one virus with one test. New method developed by researchers led by biologist Stephen Elledge of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School could look at every current or past viral infection in one fell swoop. It is possible because viruses are causing not only illness, but they leave footprints in the form of proteins. These proteins can be identified with the help of antibodies and later can be identified.  The new test named as VirScan will be useful in identifying the history of viral infection of past since birth.  VirScan uses DNA microarray synthesis &  bacteriophage display to create a uniform, synthetic representation of peptide epitopes comprising the human virome. Immunoprecipitation and high-throughput DNA sequencing reveal the peptides recognized by antibodies in the sample. The analysis requires less than 1 μl of blood. It is one of the revolutionary development in the field of virology. 

Links:
Original research:Comprehensive serological profiling of human populations using a synthetic human virome
Related article in Science Magazine:New test could reveal every virus that's ever infected you

Follow @vkmuliya