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Re: My Last OT Science Thread: EVD

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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 02:20 AM
I have to post this in two parts (one as the OP and one as a reply), because I can't post the entire thing for some reason.

(1/2)
I didn't think I'd have to ever make a definitive final science thread, but I guess this is it. :~( Before I even get into that, I just wanted to say that I love all of you guys. Whether you liked me, hated me, or just straight-up didn't know me, I really loved your company, and I'm a bit more devastated about this whole OT deletion thing than I've been letting on. I wrote this thread almost a week in advance of the deletion, but as I'm writing this, it feels like you guys are already gone. I decided to post this early, because some people who have been wanting to read this may not be on around the time of the deletion. I'll really miss making these threads, and I'll really miss you guys. :~(

I started making disease spotlight threads last year, which covered some unknown diseases and cleared up popular misconceptions about well-known ones. I did rabies, Lyme disease, Alzheimer's, Malaria, and quite a few more, but I never got around to doing Ebola. Part of the reason I didn't do it was that it was still a bit of a meme at the time, but I also wanted to save it for a really special occasion. Some of my first threads on OT were about EVD. Not only did I get my start on OT through it, but it played a major role in cultivating my interest in epidemiology and science as a whole. As much as people meme it, it holds a really special place in my heart, and the only fitting way to end my science threads on OT is to do it the same way I started them.

I'll be covering the epidemiology of the disease more than the disease itself, since most people already know the symptoms of EVD. I'll also briefly cover specifically what causes the hemorrhagic symptoms of the disease and how they could potentially be prevented.

A majority of the epidemiological data is from the CDC, USAMRIID, NCBI, and WHO.



Ebola virus disease (EVD), also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), was first discovered in 1976 through a blood sample from a Zaire nun. This was during the first major outbreak of the disease, which took place in the modern day Democratic Republic of Congo, which was known as Zaire at the time. The exact identity of the index case has remained unknown, but the two most popular theories are that they first contracted the disease by eating improperly cooked meat from a monkey, or through contact with an infected bat. In any case, the patient likely became ill and sought treatment at the local mission in Yambuku, which didn't maintain the best sanitation policies. They frequently reused needles, which resulted in an ease of transmission for bloodborne pathogens, in which EVD is included. At best, they would wash the used needles off in hot water, but this would often fail to kill all of the pathogens. This malpractice resulted in the infamous first outbreak of EVD, which still ranks among the deadliest EVD outbreaks in known history, only second to the devastating outbreak between 2014 and 2016. In total, the outbreak claimed 280 lives and spread out of the Yambuku area into Kinshasa, which is where the infamous Mayinga N'Seka case took place. Contrary to popular belief, she was not patient zero, but she does have a strain of ZEBOV named after her, known as Zaire virus strain Mayinga. Her blood samples also helped cultivate a better understanding of the disease and were used in tests all around the world.

Between 1976 and modern day, there have been more than 30 outbreaks of the disease. The most prolific outbreak, which also brought the disease to its meme status, shook the world in 2014. While just about every other EVD outbreak was contained to one country, the 2014 case spanned ten different countries, which included the United States' first domestic EVD case (aside from the RESTV outbreaks). According to CDC data, it infected more than 28 thousand people and killed more than 11 thousand. While the portion of fatal cases was quite low compared to other outbreaks, the number of cases and the number of deaths were larger than all previous outbreaks combined. It sparked fears of total global extinction and was adopted into meme culture for a good couple months. The outbreak lasted two years before the final known case was documented, and it still remains the most widespread EVD outbreak of all time.

A common misconception many people have about EVD is that it is airborne. This is only partially true. There have been seven outbreaks of a strain of Ebola, known as Ebola Reston. In total, 13 people were identified to be infected with the disease (meaning they developed the antibodies for it), but they were never symptomatic. However, in each of the outbreaks, either monkeys or pigs were also infected, and they weren't so lucky. The disease affected them like Ebola Zaire would affect a human. Flu-like symptoms, organ liquefaction, endothelial degradation, and all of the other infamous Ebola symptoms sprouted up in the non-human animal test subjects. The peculiar thing is crab-eating macaques from a control group, which were completely isolated from EVD-infected ones aside from an air vent, became sick and died as well. There was no exchange of bodily fluids between the two populations, meaning the disease had no chance to spread through its typical bloodborne fashion. This lead scientists at the USAMRIID (United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases), as well as scientists in the Soviet Union to conclude that Ebola Reston had the ability to be transmitted through airborne particles. These reports were never confirmed, but there is a possibility that RESTV is an airborne strain of EVD. It is also possible that the disease spread from the infected group to the control group via the caretakers if they didn't practice proper sanitation habits. Perhaps the disease also aerosolized due to the cages being pressure washed, sending the EVD virions flying through the air, latched onto water droplets. If that moisture was inhaled by the control group and the disease was able to bind to their lungs, this could also explain their infection. In short, RESTV very well could be truly airborne, but the spread is more than likely due improper sanitation on the caretakers' behalf. To this day, there has still never been a human infection case which has resulted in the person becoming symptomatic.


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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 02:20 AM
(2/2)

One of EVD's flagship symptoms is the hemorrhaging. It doesn't happen in every case (between 30% and 75% of the cases result in hemorrhagic symptoms, depending on the outbreak), but it can be quite violent when it does happen. The cause is thought to be due to a platelet dysfunction (a condition known as thrombocytopenia) caused by the disease. Platelets are essential for the formation of blood clots in mammals, and whenever there's an external or internal breach on or in your body, platelets stick together at the breach, which stops the bleeding. Now you can see how a low platelet count could be potentially deadly. If your platelet count is too low, your blood can't clot properly, and the blood itself tends to become more runny and water-like. Small venipunctures can become large avenues for blood loss, you can hemorrhage into your GI tract, gums can begin to bleed, parts of your internal organs begin to lose structural integrity, your joints can start to hemorrhage, and you can even experience nosebleeds. Ebola has also been known to be cytotoxic to endothelial cells, which make up the endothelium, the internal lining of your blood and lymphatic vessels. Certain glycoproteins in EVD kill endothelial cells and weaken the endothelium, potentially causing blood vessels to rupture. This, in conjunction with the disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, can cause severe hemorrhagic symptoms in a terminal EVD patient.

One potential way to prevent the disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and endothelial disruption is to use melatonin. Yes, I'm talking about the natural sleep hormone and over-the-counter sleep aid. Melatonin strengthens and protects the endothelium, especially when taken intravenously. It has been used for endothelial dysfunction in the past, and testing the treatment method on Ebola patients has shown some promise. It has also reduced symptoms of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, further reducing the hemorrhagic effects of EVD. This would significantly reduce the mortality rate of the disease by nearly entirely eliminating the risk of shock. Melatonin has also been known to increase the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells, which could further improve the odds of fighting off the disease within a patient's body. It's not a miracle cure, but it can positively impact an EVD case's chances of survival in many ways.



Whether the severity of EVD can be reduced by a simple melatonin tablet or not, it's impossible to deny that it is a truly terrifying disease. It has captivated my interest for more than a decade, and it sparked my interest in science as a whole. I hope my last OT science thread was a fitting one. I'll miss posting these, and I'll miss you guys. <3


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P4PP4 is not online. P4PP4
Joined: 04 Jan 2017
Total Posts: 14972
22 Jul 2017 02:20 AM
First
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SlurpeguyVee3 is not online. SlurpeguyVee3
Joined: 18 Jun 2016
Total Posts: 2970
22 Jul 2017 02:28 AM
I need to read this when I get the chance tbh
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FlyingYamaski is online. FlyingYamaski
Joined: 01 Feb 2015
Total Posts: 13767
22 Jul 2017 02:29 AM
nice to know the best way to learn about Ebola is to learn through OT

but thanks for everything dapper
you were like the vsauce in a world of elsa and spiderman videos
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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 02:44 AM
"I need to read this when I get the chance tbh"

As long as it's before the 27th, lol.

"nice to know the best way to learn about Ebola is to learn through OT"

There's a bunch of misinformation about EVD everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I love The Hot Zone, but that book definitely helped spark a lot of misconceptions.

"but thanks for everything dapper
you were like the vsauce in a world of elsa and spiderman videos"

No, thank YOU.
That means a lot to me.
I know some people disliked my science threads, but I kept posting them for that group of people who actually enjoyed reading them. Even if I only taught a single person one thing over the course of all of my previous threads, I'd still consider that a success.


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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 04:26 AM
Probably wasn't the best idea to post this so late at night, lol.
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CRYSTALLlZED is online. CRYSTALLlZED
Joined: 01 Jan 2017
Total Posts: 11513
22 Jul 2017 04:27 AM
Amazing post...


r+://919870697
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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 06:21 AM
"Amazing post..."

Not sure if this is sarcasm or not, but uhhhh... Thanks?


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PokemonEevee is not online. PokemonEevee
Joined: 01 Aug 2009
Total Posts: 59522
22 Jul 2017 04:42 PM
simply epic as always
bump
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SpectralPuppy is not online. SpectralPuppy
Joined: 26 Mar 2012
Total Posts: 19011
22 Jul 2017 04:44 PM
inb4 mods delete for no reason
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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 04:51 PM
"simply epic as always
bump"

Fdjfhjksdfhjksdf thank you, dork.

"inb4 mods delete for no reason"

It's gonna happen.
I'm calling it.


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Alex50529 is online. Alex50529
Joined: 10 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 15985
22 Jul 2017 04:58 PM
would you say evd is almost eradicated or no
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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 05:00 PM
"would you say evd is almost eradicated or no"

Definitely not.
The 2014 outbreak has finally ended, but EVD is still present in the wild. There was an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo just this year.


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coolzombie164 is not online. coolzombie164
Joined: 02 Jan 2013
Total Posts: 2416
22 Jul 2017 05:01 PM
the time they spend on forums
-faceplam-
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DapperNarwhal is not online. DapperNarwhal
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 24119
22 Jul 2017 05:02 PM
"the time they spend on forums
-faceplam-"

: ~ )


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Replaced is not online. Replaced
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Total Posts: 55335
22 Jul 2017 05:12 PM
thank you dapper, that was really interesting to read -- every day is a school day i guess
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XxTheGam1ngDogexX is not online. XxTheGam1ngDogexX
Joined: 16 Jan 2017
Total Posts: 6427
22 Jul 2017 05:13 PM
Good job


r+://924783111 r+://924910059 r+://924910312
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SacredTears is not online. SacredTears
Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Total Posts: 7176
22 Jul 2017 05:20 PM
Thank you so much Dapper, I'm actually aiming to study either epidemiology or clinical pathology in the near future.
Reading some of your posts has given me some benefits in studying diseases, and this particular post will definitely help me review one of the major diseases in my Academic Decathlon packets on the topic of Africa for the upcoming competition.
I really hope I'll see you again somewhere on the other forums.



~I'm OT's Saddest Asian~★~(◡︿◡✿)
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XxTheGam1ngDogexX is not online. XxTheGam1ngDogexX
Joined: 16 Jan 2017
Total Posts: 6427
22 Jul 2017 05:21 PM
okddsdsadsdsdsad


r+://924783111 r+://924910059 r+://924910312
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ClumsyGuest7 is not online. ClumsyGuest7
Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Total Posts: 5072
22 Jul 2017 05:22 PM
see you next game




if you get the reference you get t wo cookies, if you don't you just get o ne
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boring is not online. boring
Joined: 16 Jun 2007
Total Posts: 50874
22 Jul 2017 05:22 PM
Was nice having you here. Thanks for all the interesting threads.
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LordFlameKing9112 is not online. LordFlameKing9112
Joined: 03 Oct 2016
Total Posts: 8016
22 Jul 2017 05:22 PM
The bill nye of ot, thanks and cya
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Under13YearsOld is not online. Under13YearsOld
Joined: 09 May 2013
Total Posts: 4249
22 Jul 2017 05:23 PM
remember me nooblet


https://www.roblox.com/groups/group.aspx?gid=2979439
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CheyBlue is not online. CheyBlue
Joined: 06 Sep 2012
Total Posts: 15648
22 Jul 2017 05:24 PM
"I hope my last OT science thread was a fitting one. I'll miss posting these, and I'll miss you guys. <3"

Now it has truly set in for me that OT is dying. :'( However this thread was a nice nostalgic reminder of the disease spotlight series. :')
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