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heepthecheep · 2 years ago

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Oof even though I'm not the biggest fan of apocalypse/post apocalypse stories I'm having brain rot for this one idea I had....

Basically, in the 1930s, there was a massive break out of a filovirus disease. Because there was a very poor understanding of viruses and an even poorer, if not entirely non-existent, understanding of filoviruses, this virus rises to pandemic levels. It infects humans, but maybe it has the ability to jump to other mammals as well? Like, not over night, but maybe eventually there'd be a strain that infects cattle, or a strain that infects horses, or something. The virus also seems to linger, in the soil, in the water, again, in ways that the people of this time couldn't understand.

So a lot of people die. Infact, it would seem that most people died from this disease. Of course, there are several places where this disease didn't kill everyone.

Four generations after the initial outbreak of the disease, there are several small communities that eek out an existence for themselves. Because of the break down of any sort of mass or quick communication, these settlements genuinely believe that they are the last people left on earth.

First, there is a settlement deep in the mountains of Appalachia. They were remote when the pandemic began, and protected themselves by enforcing strict boundaries and physical borders. These people are deeply religious and superstitious. From this group comes "Johnny"

Another group lives in what was once coal mines, that they've converted the mines into a space somewhat habitable for humans. They've also expanded these mines. These people fled underground during the pandemic, and have kept themselves somewhat healthy by avoiding the aboveground. I think it would be neat to explore how they made food and resources, and what exactly their culture got up too. I think they'd be somewhat...impersonal? Like, purely utilitarian, to the point where they avoid close relationships, and only have intercourse to reproduce? Anyways, "Eve" is from this group.

Finally, there's a scattered group of people that lives in what remains of human buildings and homes. These people protect themselves by staying far apart from each other, only communicating through systems of messages that they invent. Children are raised by a single parent, a person who has proven themselves to be an efficient member of the community, until they are eventually left alone to care for themselves. From this group comes "Anne"

Anyways, for there own reasons, each of these people leave the group that they were raised in, and find each other. Something happens, like maybe they have to go and find a cure? Or uncover government plans for a vaccine? Or something idk. I'm just fond of these kiddos owo.

Uhh.... Pennsylvania hopeful post apocalypse story

#anne oc #johnny oc #eve oc #I love the eastern seaboard and I will use it any chance I get #oc #writing stuff #I don't have a name for this yet #um #I kinda like....#This side of Eden?#or out of the garden?#something to with the garden of Eden #writing

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oqulis · 5 years ago

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Y’all I’m,,,,

#i ranted for half an hour straight abt filoviruses and venomous sea creatures and rabies and she still loves me #god i love her yall im smitten #she talked about her interest in psychology too shes so talented like. i didnt know what art therapy was but now i kinda do #she talked about her goals and her struggles and just. god she deserves the world #shes so kind to me...... aaaa

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hyenaswine · 2 years ago

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what's your disguising tropical disease book called 👀 it sounds interesting

THE HOT ZONE

it's primarily about ebola & its fellow filoviruses that cause very horrible hemorrhagic fevers, described in graphic detail

also i don't know if that's your typo or mine but PLEASE don't try to disguise your disgusting tropical disease, i'd say the book argues pretty vehemently against that

#don't make fun of my dirty stove

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mcatmemoranda · 2 years ago

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Reviewing questions:

Tx for yersinia pestis (plague) = gentamicin 2 mg/kg

Yersinia pestis is a gram-negative coccobacillus that causes the plague. Early recognition and treatment of pneumonic plague is imperative as it carries a high mortality rate. Aminoglycosides are the first line agents for Y. pestis infections, with tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones being alternative agents. Antibiotic resistance does not appear to be common among isolates, but it is classically resistant to penicillins, ampicillin, and first-generation cephalosporins.

A gram stain often shows gram-negative coccobacilli. Wayson's stain (fuchsin-methylene blue and ethyl alcohol-phenol), shows bipolar staining often referred to as a "safety-pin" appearance. Its rapid disease progression, lethality, and ability to be transmitted by aerosolization have raised concerns about its potential use as a biological weapon. Such agents are deemed "Category A" agents by the Centers for Disease Control due to their high mortality and easy dissemination. Similar agents include Variola major (smallpox), Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism), Francisella tularensis (tularemia), Filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg), and Arenaviruses (Lassa, Junin, and related viruses).

There are 3 major clinical syndromes associated with Yersinia pestis: Bubonic plague - skin lesions at the site of flea bites that range from asymptomatic to necrotic lesions

Septicemic plague - a bubo might be present, associated with gastrointestinal symptoms developing into multiorgan failure.

Pneumonic plague - within hours-days from inhalation of infected droplets, patients present with sudden onset dyspnea, high fevers, pleuritic chest pain, and cough. This is rapidly fatal unless prompt antibiotics are given. Mortality rate is 100% if untreated, and 50% if treated.

Tx for anthrax = ciprofloxacin + clindamycin + anthrax immunoglobulin

Inhalational anthrax usually occurs in textile and tanning industries among workers handling contaminated animal wool, hair, and hides. Inhalational anthrax begins abruptly, usually 1 to 3 days (range, 1 to 60 days) after inhaling anthrax spores, which are 1 to 5 µm in diameter. The number of spores needed to cause inhalational anthrax varies. As evidenced by anthrax cases in the United States in 2001, fewer spores of weapon-grade anthrax may be required to cause inhalational anthrax. Patients with inhalational anthrax present initially with nonspecific symptoms, including a low-grade fever and an unproductive cough. They may report substernal discomfort early in the illness. After initial improvement, inhalational anthrax progresses rapidly, causing hemorrhagic mediastinitis and rapid clinical deterioration. The following symptoms may be present: high fever, severe shortness of breath, tachypnea, cyanosis, profuse diaphoresis, hematemesis, and chest pain, which may be severe enough to mimic acute myocardial infarction. Treatment of inhalational anthrax without meningitis includes ciprofloxacin plus clindamycin plus anthrax immunoglobulin or raxibacumab.

Bottom Line: Raxibacumab is a human monoclonal antibody intended for the prophylaxis and treatment of inhaled anthrax. A common therapeutic combination is raxibacumab plus ciprofloxacin, which are given intravenously. Antibiotics are usually taken for 60 days by people who have been exposed to anthrax, because it can take spores that long to germinate. Septicemic anthrax refers to overwhelming infection by anthrax bacilli. This form of anthrax may complicate inhalational anthrax. The anthrax bacilli multiply in the blood and proliferate to outnumber red blood cells. Another name for anthrax is black blood, which refers to the very dark color of the blood of animals or humans with overwhelming septicemic anthrax. Because humans are relatively resistant to invasion by Bacillus anthracis, most cases of septicemic anthrax occur following inhalational anthrax. The number of organisms released from the liver or spleen into the bloodstream overwhelms host defenses and produces massive amounts of lethal toxin that cause shock and death.

It is believed that amniotic fluid embolism causes a catastrophic inflammatory response to various substances within the amniotic fluid when it enters the maternal circulation. It usually occurs during labor or in the immediate postpartum period, although it can theoretically occur any time during pregnancy when there is a potential exposure (ie, trauma).

Amniotic fluid embolism can cause sudden, rapid cardiopulmonary collapse and DIC, often leading to complete cardiopulmonary arrest. The presentation is variable, depending on the amount of exposure, and can include hypotension, dyspnea, hemorrhage, altered mental status, pulmonary edema, cardiac arrest, and death.

There is no definitive diagnostic test. Rather, the diagnosis is based on clinical suspicion and exclusion of other causes. Treatment is entirely supportive and includes cardiac life support, pressors, blood products, oxygen, airway support, and cesarean section, depending on the timing and status of the fetus. The mortality is widely variable, but severe cases have high rates of mortality and long-term sequelae.

Pulmonary artery hypertension is often treated with prostaglandins, such as epoprostenol.

#the plague #anthrax #DIC #PAH

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nasa · 5 years ago

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Ever wanted to ask a NASA astronaut a question? Here’s your chance!

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins will be taking your questions in an Answer Time session on Thursday, October 17 from 12pm - 1pm ET here on NASA’s Tumblr! Find out what it’s like to live and work 254 miles above our planet’s surface. Make sure to ask your question now by visiting http://nasa.tumblr.com/ask!

Dr. Kate Rubins was selected in 2009 as one of nine members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. During her first spaceflight from July - October 2016 as a member of the Expedition 49 and 50 crew, Dr. Rubins made history by becoming the first person to sequence DNA in space. She also worked on the Heart Cells Experiment which studied how heart muscle tissues contract, grow and change in microgravity. Before becoming a NASA astronaut, Dr. Rubins worked with some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens, heading 14 researchers studying viral diseases that primarily affect Central and West Africa.

Dr. Kate Rubins Fun Facts

Dr. Rubins and colleagues developed the first model of smallpox infection.

She conducted her undergraduate research on HIV-1 integration in the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

She conducted research on filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), Arenaviruses (Lassa Fever) and collaborative projects with the U.S. Army to develop therapies for Ebola and Lassa viruses.

She has logged 115 days in space and 12 hours and 46 minutes of spacewalk time.

She enjoys running, cycling, swimming, flying, scuba diving and reading.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

#NASA #space #astronauts #answertime #motivation #space station #science #women in space #women in stem #inspirational women #medicine #cancer #health #disease

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sukifans · 4 years ago

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Hi!! I'm avoiding actually working because I don't like my job and I'm down to learn ebola facts!!

What actually is it? And how bad are the symptoms? -🍓

okay uhh GENERAL CW for lots of gross death and disease stuff (my fave)

oh now you’ve gone and done it lol. okay so basically it’s a family of viruses called filoviruses: threadlike chains of proteins that look like spaghetti under an electron microscope. they are rna viruses and contain only 7 different proteins and at the time of this book being written (1994), three of them were vaguely understood and other four were completely unknown. so far they’ve found marburg, ebola sudan, ebola zaire, and ebola reston. ebola reston is asymptomatic in humans and broke out in a facility in reston, va in 1989 where monkeys are shipped in from asia and africa and then are sent out to research centers around the country. marburg, sudan, and zaire are all highly lethal in humans—about 30%, 50%, and 90% fatality rates respectively. luckily for us, the known strains of ebola seem to bd pretty hard to catch (ie they are not known to be airborne, only infectious when contaminated fluids come into contact with a person’s blood, open skin, or mucous membranes). ebola reston seemed to be transmissible via air droplets, based on what happened with the monkeys, but it didn’t cause illness in humans.

here’s a basic overview of how the viruses attack cells: they can penetrate the cell membrane and use the cell’s machinery to replicate itself (viruses cannot “live” without a host). ebola replicates itself to form “bricks” of virus in inclusion bodies, until the cell gets so packed with virus that it bursts and releases the pathogen to other cells. some viruses are specialized to certain cell types—red blood cells, lung tissue cells, intestinal cells, etc, but ebola targets basically everything, which is why it’s so devastating. zaire attacks every organ and tissue except skeletal muscle and bone.

the symptoms are basically the result of the virus liquifying you from the inside out, turning all your cells into viral-loaded mush. it usually starts out with some flulike symptoms like headache/fatigue/backache which escalate into vomiting, bodyache, and fever. then people’s faces tend to go “expressionless” with droopy eyelids and red eyes and the pain in the abdomen and muscles intensifies. the skin becomes jaundiced due to liver damage and a spotty red rash that starts to spread all over the body due to hemorrhaging under the skin. personalities often start to change as clots start to throw in the brain and cause damage. small clots that started in blood vessels all over the body are causing the blood to thicken and stick to vessel walls. this causes bigger clots and can cut off blood supply to cause dead spots in organs and skin tissue (the hemorrhage rash). the virus destroys collagen and connective tissue so the skin and organ walls start to go soft and mushy. the skin basically sags off the body, and the red rash turns into massive bruises

then, the real fun of “hemorrhagic fever” begins—the patient starts to bleed from every opening in the body, which can even include weeping blood and bleeding around the teeth and salivary glands. the problem is, the bleeding continues without clotting, almost as in hemophilia, because all the clotting factors have been exhausted at the massive clots around the body. at this point, the patient is now throwing up “black vomit” which is a mix of fresh blood and black granules of old blood. in this process, the linings of the windpipe, throat, and surface of the tongue can be sloughed off and vomited up. the intestinal lining is also sloughed off with large amounts of blood out the anus. this is the “crash” stage of ebola—at this point the patient is nearly braindead from clots cutting off oxygen to the brain (more pronounced in ebola infections vs marburg and can cause grand mal seizures) and the heart muscles has been softened to the point where blood leaks into the chambers and floods the chest cavity. often the patient is killed from blood loss and shock due to the crash, or can go into a coma or suffer a heart attack. basically, ya dead

autopsies of ebola victims are pretty brutal. the organs look like they belong to someone who was basically walking dead—a corpse a few hours old can look as if the person died days before. the abdominal cavity is filled with blood, the organs are mush, and there are necrotic spots all over the tissue from the blood clots. not fun!! nasty stuff!!

i bought his newer book about the 2013-2014 outbreaks that we all probably remember and i’m excited to read it bc all this info is from the 90s and i wanna know what new stuff has been found out while i also go find free copies of journal articles lol

#mel.answers #🍓 anon #a whole essay for you lol #a big cause of outbreaks in africa are that the initial symptoms look like stuff like malaria #and in small villages and stuff the local hospitals aren’t great w sanitation procedures like resuing dirty needles #also burial rituals can get people sick

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peruditemae · 4 years ago

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Ebola Virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) which is caused by Filoviruses.4 According Mbonye et al., the Ebola virus is contagious through direct contact 4– there was a physical contact between an infected and a susceptible person.1 The Ebola virus received its name from it’s origin, the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.3 This goes for the other subspecies of the Ebola virus. For example, in Mbonye et al.’s 2012 report on the Ebola case in Uganda, they discovered the Ebola virus contained four subspecies of viruses that came from Sudan, Zaire, Bundibugyo, and Ivory Coast. This deadly virus was discovered in 1976, as it swept through African cities,2 infecting and killing hundreds of people. A major Ebola epidemic occurred in 2014, affecting several countries in West Africa.2

It takes 2 to 21 days for symptoms of the Ebola virus to occur.9 Some symptoms of the Ebola virus include “high fever, headache, muscle ache, abdominal pain, tiredness, and diarrhea.8” These symptoms occur within a few days after the disease affected the person. Some people have also reported to experience bloody diarrhea and vomit blood. Recovery is possible at this stage.8 However, for most infected persons, the “disease progresses within days to produce copious internal bleeding, shock, and death.8” Unfortunately, there is no definite cure for the Ebola virus,8 however there are proper prevention techniques that health ministries promote and follow to control epidemics such as this.

The Ebola virus can be transmitted sexually, however, there is a much more need in surveillance data and research for this particular topic, specifically on “the prevalence of viable and transmissible virus in semen over time.9” WHO recommended that male survivors of the Ebola virus should use condoms during sexual intercourse “until their semen has been twice tested negative” for the virus.9 The testing should be offered over a course of two months after onset of disease. If the results were tested positive, testing should be after every month until results are tested twice as negative.9 According to the WHO Advisory Group on the Ebola Virus Disease Response and ongoing research, male survivors should not only practice safe sex for “12 months from onset of their symptoms or until their semen tests negative twice for Ebola virus,9” but to also implement safe hygienic practices into their everyday routines.9 This includes good hand and personal hygiene– immediately and thoroughly washing hands with soap and water when come into contact with semen, including after masturbation.9 Additionally, handling and disposing condoms in a safe matter can help prevent transmission of the virus.9

There are other prevention and control techniques for the Ebola virus. These prevention techniques include early diagnosis to prevent the transmission of the disease, isolating and caring for patients that have the disease, “infection control”, practising safe burial procedures, meticulous contact tracing, and targeted vaccination.7 Another prevention and control techniques include limiting human contact with wildlife. Since fruit bats and monkeys/apes are considered to be the primary source of the Ebola virus,3 precautionary measures should take place such as wearing appropriate protective gear (i.e. gloves), when handling animals, or cooking animal products thoroughly prior to consumption.9 As stated, the Ebola virus is contagious through direct contact with infected people, particularly their bodily fluids.9 Therefore, wearing appropriate protective accessories are required when caring for infected patients, along with practicing personal hygiene.9

There has been a recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On 8th May, 2018, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reported an Ebola outbreak that has occured in Équateur Province.7 It was reported that this Ebola virus case contains five subspecies– Zaire, Bundibugyo, Sudan, Reston, and Taï Forest.7 Out of all of these subspecies, the Zaire stream is considered to be the most fatal, accounting for 69% to 88% of fatalities.7 This isn’t the first case of the Ebola virus that has occurred in the DRC; in 1976, the government recorded eight cases of the Ebola virus; in May, 2017, there were eight cases with four deaths. Most of these outbreaks occurred in remote rural areas.7 When an Ebola virus occurs in remote rural areas, the virus is reported to rapidly spread among susceptible persons.6 These remote rural areas include Bikoro and Iboko which are closely located to the Congo River.6 According to Nkengasong and Onyebujoh, this river “serves the two neighbouring countries of the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo…6” Due to the river’s relevance among these two countries, the virus can easily spread to susceptible persons as it is a gateway for the disease to travel to other countries. This then contributes to the Ebola virus epidemic.

In 2018, the first four Ebola virus cases have occured in the capital city of the Équateur province. The city has an estimated populations of 1-2 million residents,6 making it a breeding ground for the virus. If not controlled, the virus will put others at risk. There have been 11,310 deaths reported during the 2014-16 Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa.6 This demonstrates how rapid the transmission of the Ebola virus can take place within neighbouring countries. This is the first time that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and health ministries have approached this issue in an urban city.6 The DRC government and its partners have been developing and establishing special procedures to control this outbreak.

At the end of April, 2018, the Provincial Health Division of the Équateur Province reported and informed national authorities of “21 cases of potential haemorrhagic fever, including 17 deaths in the Ikoko-Impenge health area.5” On 5 May, diseases experts identified five possible cases: “A blood sample was taken from each individual, two who were hospitalized in Bikoro and three at the health centre of Iboko.5” It was reported that two of the samples were positive of the Ebola virus.5 Because of these results, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and its partners took on procedures that were stated earlier.

To reiterate, the prevention and control procedure of the Ebola virus includes the following: early diagnosis, isolating and caring for patients, infection prevention, safe burials, contact tracing, and vaccination 5. As vaccination is highlighted as one of the prevention and control procedures for the Ebola virus, in 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that vaccination is effective and safe for prevention for a Zaire ebola virus outbreak 5. As stated, the Zaire ebola virus is the most fatal stream,7 hence the need for vaccination for this particular virus. This vaccine has proved itself during the fall of the Zaire Ebola Virus Outbreak (EBOV) epidemic in Guinea in 2015 and the rise of the disease in rural Guinea in 2016.5 This vaccination is called rVSV-ZEBOV, which was part of an experiment with 11,841 associates during 2015.9 The experiment was directed by WHO, along with Guinea’s Ministry of Health, Médecins sans Frontieres and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, accompanied by other partners world-wide. For 10 days or more, they documented 5837 people who received the vaccine in which no Ebola cases were found.9 They compared these results with those who were not vaccinated. The results showed that “there were 23 cases 10 days or more after vaccination…9”

With the alliance of the World Health Organization (WHO), The Democratic Republic of Congo has set up a vaccination ring programme to control the Ebola virus.6 The programme is using a Merck-produced vaccine, to which it will be the first time a vaccine has been used outside of West Africa in 2014-2016.6 This vaccine is being utilized as an international approach for active relief of an outbreak, however, there are controversies relating to redistributing this vaccine, which includes ethical, equitable, and accessible considerations.6

Although many prevention and control techniques have been employed for this outbreak, many gaps still remain when establishing an extensive response to this crisis: the DRC’s long history of conflict, particularly in their economy and politics, has resulted in a feeble health system.6 This all can be fixed if effective leadership can take place within the Government of the DRC.6 Regarding this, international financial, human, and material assistance to the DRC are essential for an effective response.6 Without proper leadership, there is no end to this outbreak. Furthermore, there has been logistical challenges when transporting health supplies and workers to designated areas. These challenges include non-commercial flights and inaccessible roads to affected areas.6 Although the World Health Assembly has proclaimed financial and material support for the DRC, it is not yet evident that the DRC has fully received these commitments.6

References

1. Michelle Letchumanan. Public health in the context of infectious disease. 2018.

2. Schneider M. Introduction to public health. 5th ed. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC; 2016.

3. Seven important facts about ebola virus and ebola disease: Every person should know [homepage on the Internet]. . 2015 6 January. Available from: https://microbeonline.com/seven-important-facts-ebola-virus-ebola-disease-every-person-know/.

4. Mbonye A, Wamala J, Winyi-Kaboyo, Tugumizemo V, Aceng J, Makumbi I. Repeated outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers in uganda. Afr Health Sci. 2012 December 01; 12(4): 579-583. PMCID: PMC3598306.

5. Mbala Kingebeni P, Villabona-Arenas C, Vidal N, Likofata J. Rapid confirmation of the zaire ebola virus in the outbreak of the equateur province in the democratic republic of congo: Implications for public health interventions. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2018.

6. Nkengasong JN, Onyebujoh P. Response to the ebola virus disease outbreak in the democratic republic of the congo. The Lancet. 2018; 391(10138): 2395-2398.

7. Barry A, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Ali Ahmed Y, Allarangar Y, Anoko J, Archer BN, Aruna Abedi A, Bagaria J, Belizaire MRD, Bhatia S, Bokenge T, Bruni E, Cori A, Dabire E, Diallo AM, Diallo B, Donnelly CA, Dorigatti I, Dorji TC, Escobar Corado Waeber, Aura Rocio, Fall IS, Ferguson NM, FitzJohn RG, Folefack Tengomo GL, Formenty PBH, Forna A, Fortin A, Garske T, Gaythorpe KA, Gurry C, Hamblion E, Harouna Djingarey M, Haskew C, Hugonnet SAL, Imai N, Impouma B, Kabongo G, Kalenga OI, Kibangou E, Lee TM, Lukoya CO, Ly O, Makiala-Mandanda S, Mamba A, Mbala-Kingebeni P, Mboussou FFR, Mlanda T, Mondonge Makuma V, Morgan O, Mujinga Mulumba A, Mukadi Kakoni P, Mukadi-Bamuleka D, Muyembe J, Bathé NT, Ndumbi Ngamala P, Ngom R, Ngoy G, Nouvellet P, Nsio J, Ousman KB, Peron E, Polonsky JA, Ryan MJ, Touré A, Towner R, Tshapenda G, Van De Weerdt R, Van Kerkhove M, Wendland A, Yao NKM, Yoti Z, Yuma E, Kalambayi Kabamba G, Lukwesa Mwati, Jean de Dieu, Mbuy G, Lubula L, Mutombo A, Mavila O, Lay Y, Kitenge E. Outbreak of ebola virus disease in the democratic republic of the congo, April–May, 2018: An epidemiological study. The Lancet. 2018.

8. Hoyle B. Ebola virus. In: Lerner KL, Lerner BW, editors. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. 5th ed. ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale; 2014.

9. Ebola virus disease [homepage on the Internet]. . 2018 12 February. Available from: http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease.

#epidemiology #research essay

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queerfarmgremlin · 6 years ago

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is this what the kids call hip

#the family filoviridae is a group of hemorraghic fevers #ebola and marburg are the only two known members of the family and both are suspected to have their reservoir population in bats #also they are called filoviruses after the latin word for thread cause they kinda look like string

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rhiannon1425 · 4 years ago

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For the ask thing, LaForge, Sisko, and Kes. Feel free to answer either or all of them <3

Geordi: What is your dream job?

High school band director!

Sisko: what is an interest you have that most people don’t?

I like learning about infectious diseases— especially filoviruses like Ebola and Marburg

Kes: if you could have one super power, what would it be?

Teleportation bc I’m lazy af

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akhylsthebat · 5 years ago

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Bat Fact! A question that some people may have is that if a bat is carrying a virus, why are they not dying from that very virus? Bats have very unique and strong immune systems due to the fact they fly. They can push their mitochondria into overdrive to make more energy, which creates high levels of oxidative stress which leads to DNA damage and the creation of cancers and diseases. Bats have evolved mechanism to repair their damaged DNA, however, to stop unwanted replication in the form of Acute Inflammatory Responses (AIR). With that being said, damaged DNA can trigger an immune response which leads to inflammation, this being a constant in many diseases. This inflammation occurs before the AIR can wipe out the issue, so what do bats do to prevent this constant inflammation? Zhou and scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China found that in bats, an antiviral immune pathway called the STING-interferon pathway is dampened, and bats can maintain just enough defenses against illness without triggering the immune systems from going into overdrive. In humans and other mammals, an immune-based over-response to one of these and other pathogenic viruses can trigger severe illness. For example, in humans, an activated STING pathway is linked with severe autoimmune diseases.   If a bat’s immune system is able to keep them from suffering through inflammation, are they still open to picking up and carrying other diseases? The answer, while some people may not like it, is yes. This includes Filoviruses, Henipaviruses, and Coronaviruses. So the questions remains, why are the bats not getting sick from these viruses? Science still does not know 100% for sure, but science has some answers. Viruses in bats tend to be short lived, as their adapted immune systems do a great job at squashing out the disease fast due to a variety of complex biological measures that we are still learning about. Due to bats living in very close proximity to one another, these viruses can still spread from bat to bat even if they are short lived. Viruses can lie dormant in a bat, activating when a bat is stressed. When disturbed by humans, or when a human comes into contact with bats, these viruses can then jump to humans whose immune system is not prepared at all to handle the disease. This can easily be prevented by not disturbing a bat’s habituate and by taking necessary precautions when handling bats, as they are not out to hurt you! Tl;dr Bat immune systems have evolved to squash out viruses and inflammation quite quickly, but due to bats living in close proximity and other factors such as stress the viruses can reemerge. Most viruses are short lived and only spread between bats, but human interference with bats can lead to a zoonotic disease jumping from bat to human Photo by Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times #batfacts #bats #bat #akhyls #education Follow Bat Facts https://akhylsthebat.tumblr.com/ https://www.minds.com/ akhylsthebat/https://twitter.com/ AkhylsBatFactshttps://www.facebook.com/groups/137858924078846/ https://t.me/AkhylsBatFacts Disclaimer: All images used here are for educational purposes and are not used in any way for profit or to promote any products or services. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing

#batfacts #bats #bat #akhyls #education

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libriaco · 5 years ago

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Batvirus

Lin-Fa Wang (Editor), Christopher Cowled (Editor), Bats and Viruses. A New Frontier of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons, 2015

About this book

Approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses. The rate of emergence of zoonotic viruses appears to be increasing and/or our ability to detect new viruses is improving. Bats are increasingly recognised as an important reservoir of zoonotic viruses of different families, including SARS coronavirus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus and Ebola virus. Several recent studies hypothesized that bats, an ancient group of flying mammals, are the major reservoir of several important RNA virus families from which most (if not all) other known mammalian viruses of livestock animals and humans were derived. As the only flying mammal on earth, bats have several unique biological features distinguishing them from all other mammals. Recent genomics studies revealed that the adaptation of flight is linked to a bat's ability to live longer and harbour a large number of viruses without suffering from disease.

There has been a very rapid increase in the number of related publications in the 2000s. This is mainly due to the discovery of bats as reservoir of major zoonotic viruses such as Henipavirus, SARS virus and Ebola/Marburg viruses in the 1990s, which triggered a new wave of research. In addition to the large number of bat viruses discovered in the last two decades, the research interest has also expanded to the host biology, especially in the area of immunology and genomics marked by the recent publication of the two bat genomes in Science (Zhang et al. 2013 Science, 339: 456-460) as a cover story. It is unfortunate that for such an important and rapidly expanding area of research, there has been no publication of any dedicated book on this topic.

The last book published in this area is a monograph titled Virus Infections in Bats in 1974. This is the time to produce a book dedicated to this important topic which has witnessed tremendous growth in the last four decades. The aim of this project is to provide a most updated review of our knowledge in the area of bat biology and bats as a host of major zoonotic viruses. Bats and Viruses covers a wide range of topics from bat biology, bat immunology, and bat genomics to pathogen discovery, and specific chapters on each of the major bat-borne virus families. Bats and Viruses also provides a chapter remarking on the future direction of research in this important and rapidly growing area.

Concise table of contents:

List of Contributors xiii Preface xv

1 The Uniqueness of Bats 1 2 Viruses in Bats: A Historic Review 23 3 Bat Lyssaviruses 47 4 Bat Paramyxoviruses 99 5 Bat Coronaviruses 127 6 Bat Filoviruses 157 7 Bats and Reverse Transcribing RNA And DNA Viruses 177 8 Bat Reoviruses 203 9 Other Bat-Borne Viruses 217 10 Anthropogenic Epidemics: The Ecology of Bat-Borne Viruses and Our Role in Their Emergence 249 11 Are Bats Really “Special” as viral reservoirs? What We Know and Need to Know 281

References 342 Species Index 349 Subject Index 361

#Virus #USA

4 notes · View notes