Dear Chris,
It seems to me that the Ebola virus (as most other viruses)
does not survive without its host. The fact that it actually is
so "virulent" is a tool to assure its survival. Currently nobody
knows what the natural source, or hiding place, of the virus is.
It is assumed that monkeys (I'm not sure about the specific
species) are the carrier, but nothing has been proven yet. But it
could as well be an insect or any other animal.
The fact that we humans destroy more and more of our
environment gets us in contact with animals that were previously
living peacefully in their natural habitat. Through the contact
with humans, Ebola (and in the long run other viruses) are able
to jump species. Since you have read "Hot Zone", you probably
know that the Ebola virus consists of only 7 proteins. A probably
minor mutation in one or more of these proteins was the cause
that the virus could not jump over to humans in the 1989 Reston
incident. Otherwise it might have resulted in a worldwide
catastrophie.
If you are interested in Ebola and other re-emerging diseases,
you might want to consider reading Laurie Garret's "The Coming
Plague". It is a very fascinating book that covers many aspects
of this interesting topic of viruses.
Robert
E-mail: kersting.pathlogy at mail.health.ufl.edu
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Robert Kersting
University of Florida
E-mail: kersting.pathlogy at mail.health.ufl.edu
