Discuss the infection through the air of Ebola virus

Ebola virus is causing the worst outbreak ever in Africa. Public opinion has recently been a stir when some experts mentioned the risk of this deadly pathogen can be transformed into infectious form in the air. Is that scenario as scary as many people fear?

>>>The Ebola translation will be more raging for a year

Although a reputable infectious disease specialist in the United States voiced concern that the Ebola virus could develop the ability to spread in the air, other experts say the risk is unlikely. realistic. Moreover, according to them, the form of Ebola virus spreading in the air may be less dangerous than the virus that is causing the current epidemic.

Last week, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota (USA), published a commentary in the New York Times newspaper, stating that the risk of Ebola virus transform into infectious form in real air and microbiologists do not like to discuss it publicly.

According to Osterholm, at present, Ebola virus can only spread through contact with body fluids, but every case of Ebola infected people gives the virus a sudden opportunity.

Image under the microscope of the Ebola virus

"If certain mutations occur, it will mean that breathing will only push someone to the risk of Ebola infection. Infection can spread very quickly to all other parts of the world , " said Osterholm. write.

Other experts do not agree with this view. According to Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Pittsburgh (USA), although theoretically Ebola can turn into an infectious form in the air, but this ability is less likely to occur because "In terms of evolution, this may not be the best path for virus growth."

Mr. Adalja explained, Ebola virus is changing or changing genetic material, relatively often, but this does not mean it can become a form of airborne spread. HIV virus also has a high rate of change, but it does not acquire the ability to spread through the air, although it is attacking people on a much larger scale than the Ebola virus.

In fact, none of the 23 viruses that are causing human illness have been recorded to change in a way that changes their mode of infection, according to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former deputy commissioner. of the US Food and Drug Administration.

Adalja emphasized that the virus may have to undergo a series of very precise changes, following the correct sequence in many new genes that could spread in the air. Derek Gatherer, a researcher of computer applications to analyze biological data at Lancaster University (UK), agreed with this view. According to him, the ability to contaminate the air "requires a combination of multiple coincidence and unlikely events" as well as whether the "virus must be very fast in the air" , an existing Ebola characteristic have.

And even if Ebola becomes a form of airborne spread, it doesn't guarantee it will be more dangerous than its current form. This is because virus mutations can be accompanied by trade-offs: viruses can gain the ability to spread in the air, but lose the ability to infect humans or cause severe symptoms.

In addition, there has been no evidence of any filovirus (viruses belonging to the same family as Ebola) so far through the air in humans.

However, experts say it is important to closely monitor the Ebola virus in the current outbreak as well as in future outbreaks, to see what changes are taking place and whether the changes Does this affect the spread of the virus?