How does the Lassa virus replicate?
The virus replicates through a strategy known as the Ambisense, where two RNA strands code for genes in both the sense and antisense direction that is rapid and demonstrate temporal control in replication.
Is Lassa virus a DNA or RNA virus?
Lassa viruses are enveloped, single-stranded, bisegmented, ambisense RNA viruses. Their genome is contained in two RNA segments that code for two proteins each, one in each sense, for a total of four viral proteins.
What is the shape of Lassa virus?
The Lassa virus particle is round, oval, or pleomorphic, 110 to 130 nm in diameter, and enveloped. Its genome consists of two single-stranded RNA segment – the large L segment and the small S segment.
Does Lassa fever have cure?
Lassa fever is a rodent-borne zoonosis that clinically manifests as an acute hemorrhagic fever. It is treated using ribavarin. Surviving Lassa fever without receiving the antiviral drug ribavarin is rare. Only few cases have been documented to date.
Is Lassa fever an airborne disease?
Lassa virus may also be spread between humans through direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces, or other bodily secretions of a person infected with Lassa fever. There is no epidemiological evidence supporting airborne spread between humans.
Does Lassa fever have a cure?
When was the first outbreak of Lassa fever?
Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in west Africa. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died in Nigeria. The virus is named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases occurred.
Where does the Lassa fever virus come from?
Lassa Fever. The virus is named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases occurred. The virus, a member of the virus family Arenaviridae, is a single-stranded RNA virus and is zoonotic, or animal-borne. Lassa fever is endemic in parts of west Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria; however,…
What kind of disease does Lassa mammarenavirus cause?
Lassa mammarenavirus ( LASV) is an arenavirus that causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever, a type of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), in humans and other primates. Lassa mammarenavirus is an emerging virus and a select agent, requiring Biosafety Level 4-equivalent containment.
Which is the animal vector for Lassa virus?
Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for Lassa virus, the “multimammate rat” ( Mastomys natalensis) is distributed throughout the region. The illness was discovered in 1969 and is named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases occurred.
Which is the first replication step of Lassa fever?
Lassa fever causes hemorrhagic fever frequently shown by immunosuppression. Lassa mammarenavirus replicates very rapidly, and demonstrates temporal control in replication. The first replication step is transcription of mRNA copies of the negative- or minus-sense genome.