Ebola mutagenicity; Contingency planning

[Ed Rybicki]

> From:          nanomius at netcom.com (Albert Nanomius)
> Subject:       Re: Ebola mutagenicity; Contingency planning
 
> Aaron-- I saw that too about Ebola being RNA. However it
> seemed to imply that it was unusual in being a "negative
> sense" RNA virus instead of a "positive sense". I wonder
> if any studies have been done about the virulence and
> mutability of one vs. the other.

Both probably equally mutable, in terms of POTENTIAL for mutagenesis: 
but seem to be stable in their chosen environment until some sort of 
selection is imposed (like immune reactions, new host), when rapid 
mutational changes can occur.

> It appears that the newspaper account I read may have been
> totally incorrect in calling the virus DNA based.

Completely: and single-stranded(-)strand RNA viruses are by no means 
unusual; there are many, including influenza viruses, measles and 
mumps viruses, rabies viruses, hantaviruses.  Their replication is 
well understood, so Ebola is simply another of a large group (now 
grouped under the taxonomic order "Mononegavirales").

> A note to the people who have flamed me in email:
> unless you can offer information to rebut me, I don't
> give the slightest damn that you don't think I should 
> be posting here. I also think that if you are a scientist,
> it is your public duty to be graceful to the neophytes
> that are showing up on your doorstep. 

Why?  If they are as rude and as uninformed as you appear to be, why 
should we be "graceful"?  Intelligent questions get intelligent 
answers; now, despite being Net-literate enough to find your way here, you 
obviously haven't gone and looked for further edification at either 
of two sites that offer Ebola info that also offer a tutorial on 
molecular virology.  This would have informed you about viruses and 
their replication to the point where you would not have been in any 
doubt as to what a "negative strand RNA virus" was, or how it 
replicated, or whether or not it was unusual.  Meaning you 
would not have to clutter the newsgroup with posts such as the one to 
which I am replying.

> to all the scientists who are funded with taxpayer money
> here-- get your act together. don't act like such snobs
> that are not willing to discuss their specialty with interested
> laymen, and think that you cannot even talk about a topic until
> you have gone to Grad school and gotten  a PhD. 

Interested laymen, no problem.  "Gimme info because we pay your 
salaries / research grants / whatever" - go away fast.  Try behaving 
the same way in comp.os.unix, or whatever: you will get blasted off 
the Net in no time at all.  And you DON'T pay anyone's salary; your 
government funds SOME of the work done by SOME of the scientists you 
will meet here.  Which gives you no rights at all.

> instead of taking advantage of this opportunity to educate
> the public, I see nothing but a bunch of illtempered
> grouchy gripes from what appear to be ingrateful scientists
> about the Hot Zone or Richard Preston or whatever. if you
> have a problem with something written in a newspaper or
> book, CORRECT IT. WRITE AN ESSAY THAT DEBUNKS THE FALSEHOODS
> IT STATES. if you can't do that, YOU'RE NOT PART OF THE
> SOLUTION, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

You want info, again: prove your Net awareness, and go cruising.
http://www.bocklabs.wisc.edu/ed/ebola.html (just so you won't have to 
go outside of the US), otherwise:
http://www.uct.ac.za/microbiology/ebolasho.html for info on the 
disease, and 
http://www.uct.ac.za/microbiology/ebolagen.html for replication.

> so, have I pretty much offended virtually everyone here yet?

No. Just shown a lack of courtesy and common sense.  And added 
yourself to a number of killfiles.

 ______________________________________________________
 |     Ed Rybicki, PhD      |  ed at molbiol.uct.ac.za   |
 |    Dept Microbiology     | University of Cape Town |
 | Private Bag, Rondebosch  |   7700, South Africa    |
 |   fax: x27-21-650 4023   | phone: x27-21-650-3265  |
 ------WWW URL: http://www.uct.ac.za/microbiology------
   
   "And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
      From the profit he's made on your dreams..."