The Ebola Virus

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Introduction
One time or another most of us has had a cold or the flu. These are caused by viruses. Viruses are minor infectious agents that replicates only inside living cells of other organisms.1 Unlike human cells or bacteria, viruses do not have enough chemical mechanisms (enzymes) to carry out chemical feedback in life. Instead, viruses carry about one or two enzymes that interpret their genetic instructions. Therefore, a virus must have a host cell in which to survive, replicate, and produce more viruses. Without a host cell, a virus cannot function. For this reason, viruses tread the line that separates nonliving and living organisms. Many scientists agree that viruses are living because of what happens when they infect the host cell.1 The flu or the common cold viruses are not as harmful as the Ebola and Herpes virus. Bacteria on the other hand, are a type of living, single cell microorganisms. There are plenty of non-harmful bacteria in the environment, but bacteria like Yersinia pestis(Bubonic plague), which can be really deadly and dangerous. Unlike viruses, bacteria do not need a host cell, they are independent and can reproduce without an exterior body. Even though viruses and bacteria may seem similar to a regular person, they are widely different in so many ways, including their cellular and molecular structures, treatments, and how it interacts with its host. This paper I will discuss the above in detail.
Taxonomy
Ebola is a very aggressive pathogen that cause(s) a lethal hemorrhagic fever syndrome in human and nonhuman primates.2The virus can be classified in the subfamily of the Filoviridae. The Ebola fever is a group of five virus, which possess a negative sense single stranded RNA genomes. The structure of ...

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..., Ebola Virus January 2003 Available from: https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-a, , Ebola Virus avoids Immune SystemJanuary 2009 Available from: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/01/tetherin-ebola.html (Accessed March 2013 ).nd-microbiology/ebola (Accessed January 2013 ).

4. , , Yersinia Pestis January 2007 Available from: http://www.fas.org/programs/bio/factsheets/plaguefs.html (Accessed January 2013 ).

5. , , Black Death January 2013 Available from: Saylor.org (Accessed March 2013 ).

6. Stenseth, N, Plague:Past, Present, and FutureJanuary 2008 Available from: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0050003 (Accessed January 2013 ).

7. Nordqvist, C, What is Herpes?What is genital herpes?May 2009 Available from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151739.php (Accessed January 2013 ).

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