Reston/Sudan and transmissibility factors (layman's question)

[<No Value Set: using "mkaye at nmsu.edu">e]

On Mon, 22 May 1995, <No Value Set: using "mkaye at nmsu.edu">e wrote:

> Realizing that a number of natural factors serve to limit the 
> transmissibility of the various Ebola strains, and the highly 
> sensationalized treatment that the issue has been getting in the media, 
> would some of you care to comment upon the following:
> 
> Given that 1) the 1989 Reston strain appears to be similar to the 1976 Sudan 
> strain, and 2) that some form of airborne transmission seems possible in the 
> Reston strain, and 3) given the alleged "instability" of the Ebola family,
> vis-a-vis likelihood of mutations, and 4) the "simple" RNA structure of Ebola
> _ i.e. seven segments:
> 
> 	Wouldn't potential patterns of mutation tend to fall within a sequence
> of 7X6X5X4X3X2X1?  If one vector of Reston transmission is 
truly airborne in character (as opposed to arosol transmission as a 
direct function of the cage cleaning practices), is it not likely indeed 
that at least one of these other variants would retain both airborne 
characteristics and the extreme human virulence? 

 	With this in mind, has the mode of transmission in Reston been 
confirmed as airborne?
> 
> 	Thanks.
>