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Essay Archive - The Ebola Virus
The Ebola Virus
A virus is an ultramicroscopic infectious organism that, having
no independent metabolic activity, can replicate only within a cell of
another host organism. A virus consists of a core of nucleic acid, either
RNA or DNA, surrounded by a coating of antigenic protein and sometimes a
lipid layer surrounds it as well. The virus provides the genetic code for
replication, and the host cell provides the necessary energy and raw
materials. There are more than 200 viruses that are know to cause disease
in humans. The Ebola virus, which dates back to 1976, has four strains
each from a different geographic....
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