Ebola Lurked In Cured Patient's Eye 65
An anonymous reader writes: During the Ebola outbreak last year, Dr. Ian Crozier was infected. He was eventually airlifted to Emory University for treatment, and a couple months later he was cured of the disease — or so physicians thought. Not long after he was released, his left eye began bothering him. His sight faded, and he felt intense pressure and pain in his eye. Examination of the eye found it teeming with Ebola. His doctors were surprised. Cured patients frequently deal with health issues long after the virus is gone, but this adds a new dimension to the course of the disease.
Doctors say Crozier posed no threat to others through casual contact; the virus did not exist in his tears or on the surface of his eye. But in addition to the new symptoms, his eye turned from blue to green. And doctors had to rush to disinfect the exam area used for what they thought was an Ebola-free patient. Research is ongoing to determine whether and how to protect from this lingering ebola infection. One theory suggests the virus survived, but was damaged somehow. Crozier was treated with antiviral drugs, and his eye improved, but doctors aren't sure whether the drug actually helped. Either way, it's made the medical community realize this is a longer battle than they had thought.
Doctors say Crozier posed no threat to others through casual contact; the virus did not exist in his tears or on the surface of his eye. But in addition to the new symptoms, his eye turned from blue to green. And doctors had to rush to disinfect the exam area used for what they thought was an Ebola-free patient. Research is ongoing to determine whether and how to protect from this lingering ebola infection. One theory suggests the virus survived, but was damaged somehow. Crozier was treated with antiviral drugs, and his eye improved, but doctors aren't sure whether the drug actually helped. Either way, it's made the medical community realize this is a longer battle than they had thought.
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Soon to be released as a movie: Attack of the Killer Eyeballs.
Not to nitpick, but it's actually "Attack of the The Killer Eyeballs".
Re:Coming soon: horror aplenty (Score:3)
You know those awful Hollywood movies, where the needle just has to go into the eye.
NO Not the EEYEE! Yes, the eye.
Has to be a needle. Has to go in the eye.
So eyeballs are the new bat placentas [news-medical.net].
Females give birth upside down, and the goo drops down.
That's just great. Things are looking up.
already done... (Score:3)
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Why is there no Score:-2 for posts like this?
Set your account to browse at 0...
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There are worse things out there... [google.com]
(link is not for the squeamish...)
I have mod points (Score:2, Offtopic)
but there's no "Oh God, no!" mod.
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The more we learn about viruses... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Or at least that a lot of people make too many assumptions about [deoxy]ribonucleic acids. I think it's well understood that viruses can mutate, and can be vectors of all types of malady. Evolution itself is the issue in question, and the reason it's not better understood is mainly because there are zealots making sure it stays that way. (And always have been)
Re:The more we learn about viruses... (Score:5, Informative)
Huh? It was already known that the eye is a potential reservoir for viruses. The inner eye has what's called "immune privilege". That is, to protect against damaging inflammation in the eye, the inner eye has a protective membrane impermeable to normal immune cells. If a virus manages to make it into the eyeball, it's more-or-less protected from the body's normal immune system.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_privilege
Doubtless there's a ton we don't know about our biology and the biology of viruses, but this wasn't one of them. The only gap in knowledge here was knowing whether the suspicions were correct--that Ebola could persist in the eye. It was long suspected, but because most Ebola patients die, and outbreaks were so quickly contained, there were never enough survivors to study. But now there are thousands of survivors.
You know, all of this is very well discussed in the news articles.
Not news. (Score:2)
As another commenter has pointed out, this is not news. It is well known that viruses can cause Uveitis. Several are well known for it. Others not. In the absence of a rheumatological disease, unresolved Uveitis is presumed to be viral. A couple of years ago I had what I thought was the flu. It started to go away, I was on the mend, then it destroyed me. Several days in bed, 107 fever, rigors, probable encephalitis. 6 weeks later I developed Uveitis. My doctor has yet to identify a virus. Twice I'
ebola stigma (Score:2)
This isn't going to do well for the stigma already suffered by ebola survivors. I believe that the survivors are generally thought to be immune to further infection as well, so it's a bit scary that the virus can still find repositories in the body where it can hang out for longer periods of time.
Re:ebola stigma (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not anything particularly new - we've known for decades that anyone that's had chicken pox still has the dormant virus in a number of nerve ganglia near the spine, and sometimes it reactivates and causes shingles.
Re:ebola stigma (Score:5, Interesting)
And speak of the devil. My chicken pox virus was apparently hiding in the nerves associated with my left hip. Two weeks ago, I woke up with my left hip hurting. Later that day when I bitched about it, the wife looked at my behind and said "you've got shingles". Doctor agreed.
It's almost done. Left hip only hurts a little, most of the pox is scabbed over or gone. Should be fine Real Soon Now.
And as soon as I'm over this, have to get shingles vaccine. Which they only give to people at high risk for same. Having gotten it at a relatively young age (young by Shingles standards), I now qualify as being "at high risk for Shingles" according to the Doc....
A bit more on-topic, Ebola has now established that it can establish a reservoir in a survivor, so ANY of the people who survived the latest round is a potential carrier.
Plus Ebola has now established that it can transmit sexually (ebola is now a VD), if only rarely.
So does this mean all ebola survivors need to be extremely careful about who they screw, and likewise anyone who might feel the urge to bang an ebola survivor?
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And it can cause Uveitis. (Score:2)
Which is what Ebola did to this guy.
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it wasn't because she was cured (Score:1)
It's because she never had it to start with. She was told to enter quarantine as a precaution, she didn't do so.
A judge sided with her.
For what it matters, she was right. She never had it.
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She wasn't "cured", because she never had Ebola to begin with. She tested negative for the virus and was asymptomatic. It was the stupid politicians that overrided the doctors' conclusion that she wasn't infected.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it the prick who shut down the tollbridge up to stupid games again?
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Apparently you skipped over the part where the patient was described as "not contagious".
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My issue is that this "cure" appeared recently and from my (admittedly layman's) perspective, it hasn't had enough time to prove it's completely effective. And given the risks involved if someone is wrong, it seems foolhardy to just trust that it will work.
And when I read that the doctors are "stumped" as to why the disease wasn't completely eliminated, it scares the hell out
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it's a bit scary that the virus can still find repositories in the body where it can hang out for longer periods of time.
The eye has something like the blood/brain barrier to isolate it from the rest of the body and keep infectious agents out. Unfortunately, if something gets through that barrier, it can also hide out there from medications and some elements of the immune system.
Meanwhile on the loudspeaker (Score:5, Funny)
Under no circumstances is anyone to make eye contact with the patient
I repeat, no eye contact.
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Do not stare at Ebola patient with remaining eye.
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well there was that weird fetish couple years back in Japan....let's leave the eyeball licking to geckos eh?
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not an urban myth, posted videos, photos on street and eye infections were in the news at the time in Japan.
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We have detected ebola in patient's eye.
Under no circumstances is anyone to make eye contact with the patient
I repeat, no eye contact.
Unless of course you engage in vodka eyeballing for protection ;^)
Ebola Zombies with Green Eyes; Film at 11... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is the start; a simple mutation that allows it to spread unnoticed throughout the population...
"I totally got this eye infection, but it made my eyes this really rad color of green! Uh...Do you Smell Brains?!!" :)
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His eyes started out as blue.
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since the whole human race came out of west africa.....
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Actually, they came out of east Africa [wikipedia.org]
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Actually, even by your link it looks like there is mounting evidence North Africa might well be the actual launch point of migrations. Well anyway, I apologize for reverting back to old theory and forgetting "recent" findings like an old fart
Cartman would say (Score:3)
Don't give me pink eye you goddamn hippies!
Thanks for this story (Score:2)
I wasn't planning on sleeping tonight anyhow.
Wait... (Score:2)
Research is ongoing to determine whether and how to protect from this lingering ebola infection.
So they're also considering just fucking off and leaving him be?
Etox (Score:2)
The newest cosmetic treatment coming soon.
Tired of those drab blue eye? Make them green with Etox.