BIO220H1 Lecture 8: BIO220 (Winter 2014) Lecture 8
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BIO220H1 Full Course Notes
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Lecture 8: deadly viruses & the evolution of virulence. Influenza: most current flu viruses are not particularly virulent, the 1918 flu strain was. Ebola virus: causes ebola hemorrhagic fever, a sever and often fatal disease, spread by direct contact with contaminated material, bodily fluids and possibly through air, high fever, headache, stomach and chest pain, vomiting, and severe internal bleeding. In 1976, the first ebola outbreak in humans occurred in zaire and sudan (~500 cases) and then disappeared. In 1989 ebola appeared again in monkeys imported into virginia, usa from africa. In 1994-96 ebola appeared once again in africa at five different locations: distribution of ebola virus minkouka, mayibout, makokou, booue, francewille, ebola is extremely virulent has a high kill rate but then it recedes. Virulence: the additional mortality rate that a pathogen imposes on an infected individual (the host: there is a background mortality rate that a species will have (extrinsic causes) and intrinsic (aging)
