Ebola Virus

 

Welcome to PT 635 Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems This is a wiki created by and for the students in the School of Physical Therapy at Bellarmine University in Louisville KY. Please do not edit unless you are involved in this project, but please come back in the near future to check out new information!!

Original Editors - Leann Bruce and Kara Cannon from Bellarmine University's Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems project.

Top Contributors - Leann Bruce, Kara Cannon, Ylice Bridges, Kim Jackson, Elaine Lonnemann, WikiSysop, Nupur Smit Shah, 127.0.0.1 and Evan Thomas  

Definition/Description

     “Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal, zoonotic infection caused by a virus of the Filoviridae family (genus Ebolavirus),”¹. EVD is one type of hemorrhagic fever that is commonly found in west, central, and east Africa. The disease is caused by a single-stranded RNA Flavovirus which tends to replicate on dendritic cells, macrophages, and monocytes. The virus then uses multiple mechanisms to invade its host including migration to the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes which leads to widespread infection.¹ There are five known strains of EVD: Zaire ebolavirus, Bundibugyo virus, Sudan Virus, Taï Forest virus, and Reston virus. Of the five strains, only the Reston virus has not affected humans. The other strains have fatality rates ranging from 30-90% depending on the specific outbreak.²

     EVD originates in animals and is spread to humans through hunting and eating of bushmeat or contact with bat feces. Once a human has EVD, the virus is spread through contact with bodily fluids or reuse of needles that have not been properly decontaminated.¹ “Classification by the Centers for Disease Control as a category A agent also designates EBOV as a bioterrorism threat, making this virus a biodefense research priority”³.

www.youtube.com/watch

Prevalence

The Ebola Virus has been through 25 outbreaks since the first cases were discovered in humans in 1976⁴. The epidemics have centered mainly in west African countries with some occurring in the eastern and central areas as well. There have been more than 26,000 high- fatality cases of the virus documented in western Africa⁵. “The West African outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has been described as one of the most devastating health crises of the 21st century. It has resulted in over 11,000 deaths”⁶. The three largest outbreaks have occurred in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia^5,7. The statistics available from each outbreak are variable and likely underrepresenting the disease prevalence due to a lack of healthcare reporting. Also contributing to this problem are a lack of education, recovery from civil war, a failing economy, mobile populations leading to urban overcrowding or movement to isolated, rural communities, and a lack of transportation to healthcare facilities.⁶

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Characteristics/Clinical Presentation

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Associated Co-morbidities

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Medications

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Diagnostic Tests/Lab Tests/Lab Values

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Etiology/Causes

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Systemic Involvement

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Medical Management (current best evidence)

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Physical Therapy Management (current best evidence)

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Differential Diagnosis

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Case Reports/ Case Studies

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Resources

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Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)

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References

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