The Ebola Virus has been a popular topic in the news since this summer, when two American Missionaries contracted the disease during a stay in Liberia.  In all honesty, my knowledge of EBV (Ebola Virus Disease) before the recent outbreak was very limited. However, once I learned that this deadly virus had made its way back to America, sending the country into panic, I started to do a little research.  Did you know that we are dealing with the largest Ebola outbreak in known history? According to the World Health Organization, Ebola has infected over 2,400 people, killing over half of its victims.  This malicious virus is spreading like wildfire in West Africa. In fact, just this afternoon, President Obama released a statement announcing the country’s increase in response to the outbreak.

Now I won’t bore you with the facts that we have all already heard in the media the past couple months.  However, in my findings of research on Ebola, one question seemed to perplex me… What is the original host of this virus?

Image: Lynn Johnson, National Geographic

According to the World Health Organization, the fruit bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata), indigenous to Africa, is the likely source of EBV. According to BBC News, last March, officials of Guinea announced a ban of both the consumption and sale of bat meat. Bat meat is commonly found in food markets across the world. Ten years ago, researchers found that people of Chamorro were infected by a neurotoxin originating from cycad seeds eaten by the Flying Fox Bat. Similarly, the first victims of Ebola commonly ate and prepared bat dishes for their villages. A study  published last April in a journal named Viruses, showed Ebola antibodies in a large number of fruit bats circulating Asia, West Africa, Central Africa, and the Congo.  The disease infects the bats, but is not known to kill them, making it easy for the species to spread EBV.  Pair this with the fact that bats can migrate up to thousands of miles, and we’ve really got a problem on our hands.

So how do we solve it?  A 2012 study showed that the most successful way to detect this virus in bats, is by researching deceased species.  Dead bats are reportedly hard to find, perhaps because the hosts of this virus were long gone due to environmental changes before researchers were able to get to these regions.  We cannot afford to kill all of the bats because they pollinate plants and eat insects known to destroy crops.  Coming in contact with bats through hunting also poses a threat of infecting more humans with the disease.  In order to better understand how to solve this problem, researchers must find out more about the biological and environmental circumstances producing this outbreak.  Will Scientists ever discover the root of this problem?

References:

Wilson, Jacque, Caleb Hellerman, and Danielle Dellorto. “What Happens When You Survive Ebola?” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/21/health/ebola-treatment-drug/>.

World Health Organization. “Ebola Virus Disease.” WHO. World Health Organization, Apr. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/>.

Saey, Tina Hesman. “Animal Source of Ebola Outbreak Eludes Scientists.” Science News. Society For Science and the Public, 11 Aug. 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <https://www.sciencenews.org/article/animal-source-ebola-outbreak-eludes-scientists>.

Doucleff, Michaeleen. “Ebola In The Skies? How The Virus Made It To West Africa.” NPR. NPR, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/08/19/341468027/ebola-in-the-skies-how-the-virus-made-it-to-west-africa>.

Stallard, Brian. “Hunting Down Ebola’s Origins: Too Little Too Late?” Nature World News RSS. National World News, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8642/20140820/hunting-down-ebolas-origins-little-late.htm>.