Microbiology Final (Research Project) Research Paper

Microbiology Final ( Project) - Research Paper Example Excluding the Reston subtype of Ebola virus, all other types cause infection in the humans (Reddy 2002). The virus was identified initially in the year 1967 in Marburg, Germany after the presence of this virus was seen in workers of a laboratory. This was owing to their continuous contact with monkeys in the laboratory (Carruthers et al 2005). Ebola viruses are structurally classified as complete viral particles which show pleomorphism in their shapes. It can be long, filamentous or in circular forms. The dimensions of the virus are length of 14,000 nm and diameter of 80nm, encompassed in a membrane composed of lipid molecules. Ebola is a single-stranded RNA virus and it multiplies through the process of asexual reproduction, budding. Ebola virus consists of seven structural and one non-structural protein. Nucleoprotein is the major structural protein and others include virion structural protein (VP) 30, VP 35 and large protein (L) (Georgiev 2009). Ebola virus’s natural habitat is still not completely known by the microbiologists but it has, however, been established that Ebola virus is an animal-borne or zoonotic virus. Therefore, it maintains its natural reservoirs in animal hosts (Reddy 2002). Ebola life cycle initiates with the entry of the virus into different types of cells through the viral surface glycoprotein which regulate the entry of the virus. Figure 1 provides an overview of the entry of the virus into the host cell. Certain receptors on the cell surfaces promote the entry of the virus and render them vulnerable to the attack of the virus. These receptors include folate receptor-a, proteins of C-type lectin family and L-SIGN receptors expressed on Jurkat cells, macrophages and endothelial cells respectively. Once, binding and fusion of the virus in the cells is complete, the viral genome is uncoated. However, little is known about this process. The