Ok, so the CDC has confirmed..and other things!

[Patrick O'Neil]

On 14 May 1995, Lisa Ronthal wrote:
> 
> Vampire Junction (vampires at freenet.ufl.edu) wrote:
> : This mornings newspaper reported that "Officials at the CDC, who are 
> : analyzing blood samples from the current outbreak in Zairesaid this virus 
> : is *extremely similar* to the Ebola Zaire strain that ravaged Yambuku 19 
> : years ago.  'You have a virus that over a 20 year period of time has 
> : remained relatively intact' said CDC spokesman Bob Howard.    That in 
[...]

I do not know how true or reliable this information is but I would find 
it remarkable that particularly an RNA virus is so stable as to remain 
virtually unchanged for nearly 20 years UNLESS the virion is very robust 
and able to survive inertly in the environment for a long time (wow, hows 
that for a long sentence?).  I would be interested in knowing the 
virion's survivability in various likely environmental conditions as 
experienced in Zaire where the outbreaks occur.
  Unless the virus is SO finely tuned and balanced that it cannot 
drift and mutate about while still remaining viable (I certainly don't 
believe THAT)...hell, that to me would spell E X T I N C T I O N in 
capital letters, kinda like I just typed - no room for adaptive change?  
A host within which it is so benign that the host's immune system ignores 
it or makes no real effort?  Not bloody likely.

Patrick