Friday, October 31, 2014

Mice's reaction to Ebola

While some who are exposed to Ebola gets sick and die, others are able to recover despite being gravely ill. Researchers are now studying the response of mice being exposed to the virus. Study shows the response are determined by the difference in genes.



Scientists breed mice that develop Ebola infections that resembles those in humans. For instance, like two-thirds of the humans who died from Ebola without experiencing hemorrhages, many mice also died without hemorrhages. The studies show the animals who hemorrhage died from their immune system overreacting to the virus. This triggers an inflammatory response causing cells to leak out fluids and white blood cells; making organs and tissues to deteriorate. This is the stage where many people died; for those who survived, their blood eventually seep out of the vessels.



Although the exact genetic reason for why mice have such variant reactions in their response to the Ebola virus has not be pinpointed; two genes have been identified that seem crucial to determine whether the mouse would survive through the infection, die, or not be affected at all.

This article caught my interest because according to the article, researchers have only begun using mice to study Ebola. Prior to mice testing the scientists were using guinea pigs; because the mouse strain that were usually used for testing did not get an Ebola infection that mimics how humans reacted. These research are one step closer for finding a cure for the virus; hopefully a vaccine can be develop before the virus show any signs of mutation.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/health/genes-influence-ebola-infections-in-mice-study-suggests.html?_r=0

Related article: http://www.futurity.org/mice-ebola-vaccines-795802/

1 comment:

  1. Jia, I really liked this article. Certainly Ebola is not just a national issue but a prominent international issue as well. It is very interesting how some people can survive while others die from this disease. The correlations in mice and humans not experiencing hemorrhages but still dying from the disease really caught my attention. Hopefully, the close correlation between the mice and humans will help lead to a cure and a vaccine for Ebola.

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