Ebola mediums

[iceberg at slip.net]

In <jtmurrayD8FFrx.54x at netcom.com>, jtmurray at netcom.com (john murray) writes:
>
>	In Hot Zone didn't they have a case where an infected  monkey 
>transmitted ebola to another monkey who was physically seperated by air 
>space in a containment room (at USAMRIID).  If I remember correctly, it 
>is possible that it was from them throwing food or feces at each other, 
>but given lack of evidence, it would appear that there is at least some 
>proof that ebola could be airborn (If I remember correctly, they were 
>using mebenga (I know the spelling is definately not correct).

Beginning on page 251 of Hot Zone is an account of the subsequent
recontamination of the monkey house originally nuked.  In this case,
E. Reston jumped through the air system and destroyed all the monkeys, mutating
in the process into something described as "an Ebola cold," -- but fatal to
the monkeys, nevertheless.

>: Outbreak was, after all, fiction, despite that it was based in part on 
>: factual information.  All virology references I have do not report Ebola 
>: as being able to infect humans through air.

Two of the Ebolas, (Sudan and Zaire) the human-killer varieties, do not seem to
be airborne. The third, which kills only monkeys, is airborne.  And it did 
infect humans, who showed antibodies to the virus subsequent to infection. 

Which leads one to wonder:  Would infection with the supposedly harmless E.
Reston confer immunity to the deadlier strains?


       W. T. Quick  |  Iceberg Productions  |  iceberg at slip.net
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