Médecine tropicale : revue du Corps de santé colonial
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The Ebola virus is an RNA virus of Filoviridae family. The earliest documented fatal epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic occurred in 1976. There are four genetically different subtypes of Ebola virus. ⋯ In humans, infection causes hemorrhagic fever that progresses to diarrhea within 5 to 10 days. Recovery is observed in only 25% of cases. During outbreaks containment depends on implementation of simple precautions including isolation of suspected cases, appropriate protective clothing, disinfection with hypochlorite solutions, and proper waste disposal.
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Eosinophilic lung disease comprises a diverse group of disorders characterized by eosinophilic pulmonary infiltration in association with other inflammatory cells. In patients with respiratory symptoms, usually associated with radiographically documented infiltrates, blood eosinophilia is a helpful but inconsistent diagnostic finding. Currently diagnosis is confirmed more often by bronchoalveolar lavage than by lung biopsy. ⋯ Mild eosinophilia is also a possible finding of bronchoalveolar lavage in several other disorders but the role of eosinophils is less important. The prognosis and treatment of eosinophilic lung disease varies depending on etiology. Corticosteroids are frequently used but treatment modalities also depend on etiology.
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Thanks to progress in serologic techniques evidence was obtained in 1980 showing that acute hepatitis epidemics observed in India were due to neither virus A nor virus B. The presence of another virus was confirmed and its genome was cloned and sequenced in 1991. Hepatitis virus E is a small RNA virus that differs from other known human viruses. ⋯ Prevention depends on protection of the water supply and proper sewage disposal. Successful active immunization of monkeys holds promise for development of a vaccine. Due to its magnitude and high mortality rate hepatitis E is a major health problem for numerous regions around the world including Southeast Asia.