The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

The Hot Zone is a thrilling true story written by Richard Preston. In this story a mysterious and unknown virus surfaces in Africa, killing hundreds of people. Through out the story scientists try and figure out what is causing this massacre. They later find out that its a virus known as Marburg. Marburg virus hasn't been fully researched by scientists so the information on the virus remains scarce. As the story progresses more and more individuals are breaking out with the same symptoms. The symptoms usually include vomiting, skin irritations, red eyes, excessive bleeding, and a fever. Doctors and nurses were completely baffeled by this sudden out break, and as the patients with these symptoms kept showing up to the hospital they didn't know how to treat them so unfortunately they would all die within a week. Since, this infection was unknown to scientists and physicians, as they treated these patients who came in infected they wouldn't wear lab suits because they were unaware that it was extremely contagious. Soon everyone in contact with the people who were infected with this virus started to show the same symptons and broke out with the viral infection as well.

The news of this uncontrolable virus soon spread to researchers and scientist every where, but most of them were too afraid to take on the job because its extremely contagious and has a high death rate. But when researcher Nancy Jaax, veterinary pathologist at USAMRIID, was presented with the job opportunity she wasn't hesitant on accepting the job along with other scientists such as Eugene Johnson, Peter Jahrling, Tom Geisbert, Clarence James Peters, and Dr. Joseph B. McCormick. As they conducted there research they got a lead on where the the virus first occured, but when they went back to search for it, the virus was no where to be found. Eventually, the researchers found that monkeys were breaking out with the virus. As they started to study the monkeys they found that as the virus began to take over the body it liquified all of the monkeys' organs. When the scientists studied the blood and virus infested tissues they noticed that the virus looked different from the Marburg virus. This led them to believe that what they're dealing with isn't Marburg, but a sister virus. Furthering their research they actually found three different subtypes of Marburg, which are identified as Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, and Ebola Reston.

This story not only relates to science and biology, but it lives science and biology. The books main discussion involves an unknown virus that rips through its host leaving nothing, but liquified organ mush. When the monkey cells are magnified under a microscope, the cells show nothing but virus crystalloids. Crystalloids are viruses packed together so they resemble a block like figure. As these Ebola viruses invade their hosts cells, they magnify and eventually burst through the cells membrane leaving behind a deadly mess. Even as researchers studied over a hundred monkeys they still could not understand why the this virus was so invasive and deadly. This virus is so deadly that nine out of ten people die within one week of being infected. The strange thing about this virus is that it resembles the AIDS virus. The Ebola virus has all of the qualities of the AIDS virus, except that it can be air born unlike AIDS. Also, there aren't any medications available for the Ebola virus like there are for AIDS, because this virus is new so no medications have been found to slow down the magnifaction process. Ebola is uncurable. So in reality, this makes the Ebola virus ten times worse than one of the worlds biggest epidemics, known as AIDS!

The discovery of the Marburg, and Ebola viruses are going to impact todays society immensely. Scientists have never found something so deadly and confusing as the Ebola virus, since they have discovered AIDS. And since there is no cure for Ebola if anyone becomes infected again and comes in contact with other people causing them to become infected, society could be in serious danger! A main reason why the virus cannot be completely understood, because its native origin is still unknown. Even after a month long biological search in Africa's Kitum Cave, nothing was found, not even a single trace of this mysterious virus. One of the scientists even described this virus as something most people would find disturbing. He described the virus as being "beautiful" because of its mysterious and powerful ways of wiping through a host within a week leaving behind nothing, but mush, liquid and blood. Although this viral out break has been dormant for a while now, it still lives in the back of the mind of the scientists from USAMRIID. No one knows when the virus will make another grand appearance or where the virus is currently hiding, but where ever it is currently residing we shall hope and pray that it doesn't wake up. For if the virus wakes up, the human population can be in serious danger. And if it mutates into different subtypes and humans are infected humans can begin to die out in different parts of the nation, eventually leading to the extinction of the entire human race!