Infecting the Immune System - Ebola 

1-2-2026

One of the many reasons I find the immune system so beautiful is its complexity and ability to overcome infection. In such an intricate, massive system, it feels inevitable that some virus, bacteria, or cancerous cell will go unnoticed. Despite this, your body does an excellent job at killing pathogens and keeping you healthy, and most diseases tend to have a hard time surviving in the human body. However, the most dangerous, infectious diseases have a tendency to first attack the very thing that is supposed to protect you, your immune system. 

There are many pathogens that target the immune system upon infection, but my current favorite is the Ebolavirus. Better known as Ebola, the Ebolavirus is extremely contagious, and is known for being violent and ruthless upon contraction. 

Ebola is first contracted by ingesting the meat of an infected animal or by contact with the bodily fluid of an infected person. The virus begins by targeting the immune cells that respond first to infections, dendritic cells and macrophages. The virus does this by covering itself in Phosphotidylserine (PS), a lipid that is located on the inside of cells. This molecule signals to the macrophage that a cell is about to go through apoptosis, causing the macrophage to “ingest” the cell. When ebola covers itself in PS, the macrophage then willingly takes in the Ebolavirus. 

After invading macrophages and dendritic cells, ebola hijacks the cell to produce its viral proteins. While these immune cells have mechanisms to communicate to the rest of the body that something is wrong, ebola produces a protein that inhibits cells from producing interferon proteins, which signal to the rest of the body that a virus is present. This allows ebola to produce viral proteins and multiply with very little immune response. 

After overtaking the immune system, ebola causes a cytokine storm. Cytokines cause inflammation and make blood vessels more permeable. As the storm occurs, the body becomes extremely inflamed, blood vessels leak, and blood pressure drops. These combined factors cause the body to go into shock, leading to death. 

I have been so intrigued by this virus because of how tailored it is when attacking the body. Ebola is not messy upon infection, it is discreet, calculated, and precise. Its method of infection is intricate, despite being a relatively simple pathogen, which I find remarkable.