Paparazzi event for baby's big day out Aug 28, 2008
She said they faced many dangers including hunters, deforestation, and the ebola virus in their native habitat in central Africa. "Zoo breeding programs are critical for helping to ensure against rapidly declining numbers in African countries where the bush meat trade, poaching and forest clearing continue to threaten the long-term survival of the species," Ms Grossfeldt said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
JEFF EDELSTEIN COLUMN: What grinds my gears Aug 27, 2008
He's start each piece with the following words. "You know what really grinds my gears?". (The Trentonian, NJ)
Huge boost for lowland gorillas Aug 7, 2008
Hunting and the ebola virus was thought to have slashed population numbers ... Jillian Miller, executive director of conservation group The Gorilla Organization commented: "The discovery of such a large population of western lowland gorillas is absolutely fantastic news for the sub-species and for conservationists, but we should be careful not to be too complacent. "The area where these gorillas have been found is in the path of the Ebola virus, which has wiped out large numbers of Western... (BBC News)
Massive Numbers Of Critically Endangered Western Lowland Gorillas Discovered In Republic Of Congo Aug 7, 2008
Across Central Africa, gorillas face the looming threats of hunting for bushmeat and the spread of the Ebola virus, which is lethal to gorillas as well as humans ... 14, 2001) The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is working to prevent the recent Ebola virus outbreak from decimating wild populations of gorillas, chimpanzees and other wildlife in Gabon and ... 27, 2004) Scientists fear that emerging evidence may suggest a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, which, in addition to... (Science Daily)
Fluidigm's Biology Chip Keys Ebola Breakthrough Aug 6, 2008
The evil Ebola virus has mostly won in its life-and-death struggle with medical researchers ... There is no cure for the Ebola virus, which spreads when people come in contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is infected. (Investors Business Daily)
Wildlife Conservation Society discovers 'Planet of the Apes' Aug 6, 2008
Across Central Africa, gorillas face the looming threats of hunting for bushmeat and the spread of the Ebola virus, which is lethal to gorillas as well as humans. WCS is working with partners to combat Ebola, eliminate commercial hunting, and secure this last stronghold for Africa's apes. (EurekAlert!)
Antiviral Therapy Helps Children At Risk For Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease Aug 5, 2008
21, 2007) Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) belong to the Filoviridae family and cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. Filovirus infections are characterized by high fever. (Science Daily)
Trove of endangered primates found in Africa Aug 5, 2008
As recently as last year, this subspecies of the world's largest primate was listed as critically endangered by international wildlife organizations because known populations estimated at less than 100,000 in the 1980s had been devastated by hunting and outbreaks of Ebola virus. The three other subspecies are either critically endangered or endangered. (International Herald Tribune)
A second chance for an endangered species Aug 5, 2008
They are susceptible to the Ebola virus. Estimates in the 1980s suggested that there were roughly 100,000 western lowland gorillas - one of four subspecies. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Anthrax attacks fed rumors Aug 2, 2008
The Hartford Courant, quoting an internal Army inquiry, reported in 2002 that lab specimens of anthrax spores, Ebola virus and other pathogens disappeared from Fort Detrick in the early 1990s, during a time of labor complaints and spats among rival scientists. The Courant also reported that in 1992, Col. Philip Zack, a former Fort Detrick employee, was let into the complex in January 1992, apparently by lab pathologist Marian Rippy, a close friend. (The Palm Beach Post)
Timeline: DR Congo Aug 2, 2008
2007 September - Major outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. 2008 January - The government and rebel militia, including renegade Gen Nkunda, sign a peace pact aimed at ending years of conflict in the east. (BBC News -- Africa)
US ban on visitors with HIV could end soon Jul 16, 2008
Even people with avian flu or the Ebola virus have an easier time than those with HIV when it come to applying for visas, he said. Kerry and Sen. (AL.com)
Cave warning on Uganda bat virus Jul 13, 2008
In the past, Marburg and the related Ebola virus have caused outbreaks in humans and great apes with mortality rates of 80 to 90. Early symptoms of Marburg are diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea and vomiting, which give way to bleeding. (BBC News -- Health)
Scientists Uncover Deadly Ebola Virus's Achilles' Heel Jul 13, 2008
Scientists Uncover Deadly Ebola Virus's "Achilles' Heel": Scientific American ... Scientists Uncover Deadly Ebola Virus's "Achilles' Heel" ... The so-called Ebola virus glycoprotein, or "spike protein," was first discovered a decade ago and has been a target for scientists attempting to and therapies to prevent it from infecting cells. (Scientific American)
Structure Of Critical Protein From Ebola Virus Determined Jul 13, 2008
ScienceDaily (July 11, 2008) Detailed in the journal Nature, the research reveals the shape of the Ebola virus spike protein, which is necessary for viral entry into human cells, bound to an immune system antibody acting to neutralize the virus. The structure provides a major step forward in understanding how the deadly virus works, and may be useful in the development of potential Ebola virus vaccines, or treatments for those infected ... "Much about Ebola virus is still a mystery," says Erica... (Science Daily)
Engineers Create 3-D Model To Help Biologists Combat Blue Tongue Virus Jun 26, 2008
(June 21, 2007) A topical respiratory tract vaccine tested for the first time in a primate model may protect against Ebola virus infection. Ebola virus is a highly contagious form of severe hemorrhagic fever with a. (Science Daily)
Richard Preston will press your buttons in 'Panic in Level 4' Jun 17, 2008
By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY With his 1994 sensation The Hot Zone, science writer Richard Preston terrified millions by describing how the Ebola virus left victims hemorrhaging from every orifice. In his new book, Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science (Random House, $26), he continues to probe nature's stranger side, including what DNA tastes like and a disease that compels people to chew their own flesh. (USA Today -- Tech)
Harrison Ford Lends his Fame Jun 12, 2008
And the trade is also linked to contributing to the spread of human s virulent wildlife diseases, such as SARS, avian influenza (Bird Flu) and the Ebola virus. Also attending the meeting was Special Envoy of the Secretary of State for Wildlife Trafficking Issues former actress Bo Derek and assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science Claudia A. McMurray. (Suite101.com)
Opposition rejects unity government Jun 11, 2008
Piot, a Belgian who codiscovered the Ebola virus in Zaire in 1976, has led the UN's response to the AIDS epidemic as executive director of the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS since its inception in 1995. (Reuters). (Boston Globe)
Taking gorilla health to heart Jun 11, 2008
The animals are hunted for their meat, and have been badly hit by the Ebola virus. They have been classified as "critically endangered" by the World Conservation Union, and at their current rate of decline could disappear from the wild by 2050. (Globe and Mail)
Invasion Strategy Of World's Largest Virus Revealed Jun 1, 2008
6, 2008) Veterinary researchers have identified a protein, ISG15, that inhibits the Ebola virus from budding, the process by which viruses escape from cells and spread to infect neighboring. . (Science Daily)
Scarred forever by a slip of the dial May 29, 2008
Afterwards, I decided I would sooner voluntarily expose myself to the Ebola virus than tune in again. Wallowing in a pool of sheep's brains while listening to a child learning to play the violin would be a more satisfying experience, and may also have a less damaging long-term impact on my psychology. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Marisela Raquel Rodriguez May 25, 2008
Her long term career goals are to study the immune responses of Ebola virus, and to create a graduate program geared at mentoring students in the field of infectious diseases. A member of Delta Beta Chi sorority, she has been involved in school as well as community programs and has been a member since starting school in 2001. (Petersburg Progress Index, VA)
Bush scales back McCain events at campaign's request... May 25, 2008
Bush is McCain's Ebola virus. You keep away from it as much as possible because (a) it is deadly and (b) it is very contagious. (The Drudge Report)
Open Court: This isn’t basketball (94) May 18, 2008
The Spurs flopping has infected the NBA like the Ebola virus, turning professional basketball into a depressing combination of flag football and soccer. The worst part. (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Extinction Epidemic Apr 18, 2008
Ebola Virus Threatens Gorilla With Extinction ... The highly-infectious Ebola virus has decimated huge swaths of the already diminished western lowland gorilla population. (Fox News)
Scientists seek Ebola vaccine to save gorillas Apr 18, 2008
BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists are racing against time to find a vaccine for the highly-infectious Ebola virus that has decimated western lowland gorilla populations. Western lowland gorillas are the most common type, but even at that there are probably only between 50,000 and 100,000 remain in the wild, all of them in the forests of the Congo basin in central Africa. (Xinhuanet, China)
Migrations Disappear and Diseases Jump Species Apr 16, 2008
For example, wild fruit bats have proved to be the reservoir where the Ebola virus waits for a chance to infect people. At the same time, human activities such as deforestation are creating more habitat in which the mosquitoes that spread malaria can thrive, according to environmental health scientist Jonathan Patz of the University of Wisconsin Madison. (Scientific American)
The Asiatic vs. Italian fake hair showdown Apr 12, 2008
" Which raises a great existential dilemma: Is it better to be told to do something directly, or to be given the illusion that you are the master of your destiny? -- Andrew Leonard [13:31 EDT, April 7, 2008] (47) The silver lining of the credit crunch Some theories just won't die, even with multiple stakes through the heart and a thermonuclear explosion to boot. How the World Works was of the opinion that if the global credit crunch proved anything, it was the complete bankruptcy of the idea... (Salon)
Researchers Successfully Test Ebola Vaccines Apr 2, 2008
"The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism, the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism. We desperately need a protective vaccine," Dr. Anthony Sanchez, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a prepared statement ... "Ebola virus infection... (MEDLINEplus)
Vaccine For Ebola Virus Successful In Primates Apr 1, 2008
31, 2008) One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use ... "The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote... (Science Daily)
Ebola Vaccine Works In Primates Apr 1, 2008
The Ebola virus, made famous in novels and movies as fast-spreading and deadly, may be prevented by a newly tested vaccine ... "The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism," Sanchez said ... Because Ebola virus is so... (Click2Houston, TX)
Fielder shakes off flu to start opener Apr 1, 2008
"I would have to have the Ebola virus," Fielder joked Monday morning. "Seriously, I don't like missing games. I would have to be really sick. I would have to be unable to help the team at all. If I can walk around at all, I'm going to play." Fielder first reported feeling aches and pains on Saturday, before the Brewers played the Royals to wrap up their Spring Training schedule. (MLB.com -- Milwaukee Brewers)
Vaccine for Ebola virus Mar 31, 2008
One of the worlds deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use ... The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked ... Because Ebola virus is so dangerous, producing and testing a vaccine is extremely challenging for the scientists. (EurekAlert!)
New Technique Will Speed The Development Of Vaccines, Study Shows Mar 28, 2008
Brown said the new technique also will be a boon to researchers working on vaccines against pathogens that are highly contagious or especially deadly, such as the Ebola virus and the bacterium that causes anthrax. She is using it to screen proteins from Coxiella, a bacterium that causes Q fever and is considered a possible bioterrorism threat. (Science Daily)
No Sex in the City Mar 27, 2008
Wise Diva I agree people think being single is some sort of Ebola virus. I personally am happy being single. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Living)
23 days to live Mar 23, 2008
L happens to meet them while researching a deadly virus that is 10 times more infectious than the Ebola virus. Pursued by the bioterrorism group, L flees with the boy and Maki, both of whom are keys to developing the vaccine, gradually opening his heart to them in his own shy way. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Keep your cool when your kid’s friends ditch their plans Mar 23, 2008
And while you feel badly that she s come down with a sudden case of ebola virus, you feel even worse when you run into her later that night when she s hanging out with friends. Her explanation that they all have ebola virus and have been quarantined together at their favorite pizza joint doesn t make you feel better. (Winona Daily News, MN)
Rwanda Conservation Effort To Link Isolated Chimps To Distant Forest Mar 21, 2008
14, 2001) The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is working to prevent the recent Ebola virus outbreak from decimating wild populations of gorillas, chimpanzees and other wildlife in Gabon and. (Jan. (Science Daily)
Protein Inhibits Ebola From Reaching Out To Infect Neighboring Cells Mar 7, 2008
6, 2008) Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a protein, ISG15, that inhibits the Ebola virus from budding, the process by which viruses escape from cells and spread to infect neighboring cells. This study shows for the first time how ISG15 slows the spread of Ebola virus budding, an observation that could help explain how ISG15 successfully inhibits other viruses, including HIV-1 and herpes simplex virus type I. The findings offer the... (Science Daily)
Anger at school TB test delays Mar 7, 2008
It's only a matter of time before the Ebola virus makes its way here as well. I think it's time we made vaccinations mandatory for everyone regardless of their supposed belief systems. (NEWS.com.au)
Combination Vaccine Protects Monkeys From Ebola And Marburg Viruses Feb 28, 2008
30, 2000) A team of researchers led by scientists from the National Institutes of Health has developed a novel vaccine that prevents Ebola virus infection in monkeys ... 10, 2003) Scientists have successfully immunized mice against Ebola virus using hollow virus-like particles, or VLPs, which are non-infectious but capable of provoking a robust immune response. (Science Daily)
Pandemic Hot Spots Map a Path to Prevention Feb 23, 2008
Examples include the Ebola virus (1976) and HIV (1981) as well as the more recent (1999), SARS (2002) and H5N1 bird flu (1997). They compared the frequency of novel outbreaks with possible contributing factors such as population density and growth, latitude, and the diversity of wildlife. (Scientific American)
India hotspot for new infectious diseases: Report Feb 23, 2008
And most of these, including SARS and the Ebola virus, originated in mammals. "India risks new epidemics as the human population expands into natural wilderness, coming into contact with a diverse range of wildlife that harbour unusual diseases," Kate Jones, a biodiversity scientist at the Zoological Society of London and first author of the international study, told TOI.. (Times of India)
Find out if you’re heading into harm’s way Feb 23, 2008
For example, the most recent update on Congo notes that travelers are often detained by poorly disciplined security forces at road-blocks, that sometimes they have to pay unofficial ``special fees at the airport and that the Ebola virus was reported as recently as October. Boysen says the State Department should be taken seriously: ``If it makes it to the State Department Web site, it s pretty significant, he says, noting that there are political ramifications for what amounts to blacklisting a... (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Scientists: India risks new epidemics Feb 22, 2008
And most of these, including SARS and the Ebola virus, originated in mammals. Worldwide, the study found that disease emergencies have roughly quadrupled over the past 50 years. (Xinhuanet, China)
Next human plague 'likely to come from animal contact' Feb 21, 2008
New zoonoses include AIDS, which is believed to have jumped from chimpanzees to humans, possibly through hunters who killed and butchered apes; SARS, whose natural reservoir is Chinese bats; and the Ebola virus, which holes up in three species of African fruit bat and infects animal primates and humans. "We are crowding wildlife into ever-smaller areas, and human population is increasing," said co-author Marc Levy of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, affiliated to... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Animal Viruses Threaten Human Plagues Feb 20, 2008
A three-year investigation has shown that since 1940 around 250 viruses such as HIV, Ebola Virus, SARS and H5N1 bird flu have jumped from wild animals to people. Presenting the first-ever map of "hotspots" of new infectious diseases in the British journal Nature, researchers from Columbia University and the New York Consortium for Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust predict that the next pandemic is likeliest to come out of poor tropical countries. (Sky News)
Uukuniemi Virus Helps To Explain The Infection Mechanism Of Bunyaviruses Feb 19, 2008
21, 2007) A topical respiratory tract vaccine tested for the first time in a primate model may protect against Ebola virus infection. Ebola virus is a highly contagious form of severe hemorrhagic fever with a ... 21, 2007) Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) belong to the Filoviridae family and cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. (Science Daily)
Study garners unique mating photos of wild gorillas Feb 13, 2008
The western lowland gorilla is listed as Critically Endangered as a result of hunting by humans, habitat destruction, and health threats such as the Ebola virus. The female gorilla in the photograph, nicknamed Leah by researchers, made history in 2005 when she was observed using tools another never-before-seen behavior for her kind in the wild. (EurekAlert!)
Local student learns at Centers for Disease Control Feb 8, 2008
"It's very helpful and reassuring to see that the knowledge we acquire in many classes at BVU is applicable to real-world jobs." While Laura did not work in high-risk areas at the CDC, she did have the chance to put on one of the hazmat "space suits," which are required protection for scientists working in Biosafety Level 4 labs, where research is conducted on such dangerous agents as the Ebola virus and smallpox. "The suit was an XXL size, which was a little big on my 5 foot, 3 inch frame, so... (Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA)
Merck AIDS Failure Signals Doom for Africa, U.S. Projects to Prevent HIV Jan 31, 2008
Eight government-funded studies of vaccines against HIV, malaria and Ebola virus were halted or put on hold after the Merck results. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, based in New York, has stepped up efforts to find a way to prevent the disease that doesn't depend on triggering protective T-cells. (Bloomberg -- US)
Cells Use Velcro-like Mechanism To Keep Viruses From Spreading Jan 29, 2008
By watching particles of HIV as well as virus-like particles made from Ebola virus structural proteins, Bieniasz and first author Stuart Neil, a postdoc in the lab, found that an immune protein, known as interferon, actually instructs cells to tether enveloped viruses to the cell membrane like Velcro ... To see whether interferon-induced virus retention was specific to HIV or whether it could work against other enveloped virus particles, Neil and Bieniasz used a protein from Ebola to create... (Science Daily)
The synthetic genome Jan 27, 2008
We could now probably also syn-thesise any virus with a genetic code of fewer than 10,000 letters of DNA in under a week in the lab, and larger viruses such as the Marburg or Ebola virus [both very unpleasant] in a month or so. For Marburger the implications were clear and, soon after, Venter s research was put under scrutiny by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity which oversees research deemed potentially dangerous. (Times Online)
29 things to be happy about Yes, it's all doom and gloom and war and... Jan 27, 2008
29 things to be happy about / Yes, it's all doom and gloom and war and global warming and Bush. Except when it's not. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Read This Before You Die Jan 27, 2008
If not from heart disease, the Ebola virus or mayhem-minded coyotes armed with anvils, then surely by being smothered under the avalanche of "Before You Die" books tumbling off the shelves these days. Blame it on Patricia Schultz. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Great Apes Endangered By Human Viruses Jan 26, 2008
27, 2004) Scientists fear that emerging evidence may suggest a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, which, in addition to threatening human lives, would threaten tens of thousands of great apes in this. (Aug. (Science Daily)
New hope of developing Ebola vaccine Jan 25, 2008
SCIENTISTS have disarmed the Ebola virus by removing a single gene, providing a new laboratory tool that will help the development of drugs and vaccines against the lethal tropical disease ... "We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus," said study team leader Yoshihiro Kawaoka. (The Australian)
'Safe Ebola' created for research Jan 22, 2008
We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus ... "We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus," said Yoshihiro Kawaoka. (BBC News -- Health)
'Safe' form of Ebola created Jan 22, 2008
Current work on Ebola viruses (EBOVs), which cause deadly haemorrhagic fever, is conducted in a small number of laboratories rated at biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) the highest level there is. "The lack of sufficient BSL-4 space and trained personnel and the rigors of working in BSL-4 laboratories have severely hampered basic research with EBOVs," Peter Halfmann, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his colleagues write in a paper describing the new Ebola virus in Proceedings of the... (Nature News Service)
Ebola virus disarmed by excising a single gene Jan 22, 2008
MADISON - The deadly Ebola virus, an emerging public health concern in Africa and a potential biological weapon, ranks among the most feared of exotic pathogens ... "We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus," explains Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a professor of pathobiological sciences in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and the senior author of a paper describing the system for containing the virus published today (Jan ... The Ebola virus first emerged in 1976 with outbreaks in... (EurekAlert!)
Disarmed Ebola virus to aid quest for vaccine Jan 22, 2008
Scientists disarmed the Ebola virus by removing a single gene, providing a new laboratory tool that will help the development of drugs and vaccines against the lethal tropical disease ... We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, who led the study team, said. (Times Online)
Meet The Relatives Dec 30, 2007
In West Africa the Ebola virus killed 5,000 gorillas in just one corner of the Republic of the Congo. Chimpanzees are hunted for their meat, considered a luxury in some parts. (Forbes)
WHO lab at Haffkine to fight avian flu Dec 23, 2007
The laboratory will be equipped to fight even the deadliest of viral attacks, like that of Hantavirus (infectious respiratory disease), Ebola virus and most importantly the human transmission of avian influenza. The expertise of this laboratory will also help tackle bio-terrorism or an anthrax attack, said Dr Ranjana Deshmukh, Director, Haffkine Research Institute. (Daily News & Analysis)
* Johnny Neihu's NewsWatch: Dirty tricks are the stuff of legend Dec 22, 2007
Vote pan-blue and the ballot self-destructs once placed in the box -- but not before nanotechnology sensors release a mutated, non-contagious form of the Ebola virus (courtesy of pan-blue sympathizers at the Centers for Disease Control) into the voter's bloodstream. 2. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)