Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 42

How does HIV survive in spite of the destruction of its native habitat?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 41

What is the impact of the fast mutation rate of HIV and other “hypermutants”?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 40

How are vaccines cultured?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 39

Define the latitude gradient hypothesis as explained by E.O. Wilson and how it relates to
this issue of species location.

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 38

Summarize what the author has to say about AIDS and HIV's path to the outside world as
a consequence of habitat destruction. Explain and justify your agreement or disagreement
with this statement.

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 37

Why are spiders continued to be suspect in the hunt for the original host of Ebola? What
about the sharp-rock hypothesis? In the end, list as many possible hosts as you can
remember from all the scientists in the book.

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 36

Describe Tom Geisbert’s experiment about dormancy of Marburg. What were the results?
How does this compare to a) HIV and b) anthrax?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 35

Describe the conditions inside the cave. Why is this an unusual climate for a cave? Why is
it described as a good place for a virus to be preserved? Why would sunlight kill viruses?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 34

By what percent had poachers reduced the elephant population? What would you do in
this situation?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 33

Describe or diagram three possible reservoirs for the virus and their pathways to humans.

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 32

What is the rate of AIDS infection in that area? How many people in your county are
infected with HIV? How many new cases were there last year (you can get this information
from the county public health department)?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 31

Find out what was the original index case for AIDS in Africa and in the United States (for a
hint on the US case, go to the June 1981 edition of the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA)).

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 30

Why is the Kinshasa Highway referred to as the AIDS Highway?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 29

The Rift Valley is seen as the original home of the human species, and is one of the richest
archaeological sites on earth. What about the geography of the Valley makes it so special?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 28

What is the likely index case for Reston? What are some other possibilities for the link
between the African and Asian strains? Why can we rule out convergence in this case?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 27

What did the infected lung look like? What are the implications for infection of a virus that
moves from the lung to the testicles?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 26

Find a graph of deaths from the black plague. Explain what happened with populations. What was the vector, or mode of transmission, in that case?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 25

“You can never know when life is exterminated.” Research the domain of extremophiles,
organisms that live in very harsh conditions. We know now that these are more common
than previously thought. What are the implications of a toxic extremophile that is infected
with a lethal virus?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 24

What is the chemical formula for formaldehyde gas and what makes it toxic?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 23

What was the sentinel species used to see if the place was really clean? Research this
species to find out why it is so hard to kill off. What are some other hard-to-kill microbes?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 22

Why is it better to dispose of the monkeys the way they did instead of just burying them?
What improvements would you suggest?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 21

What is the rapid Elisa test?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 20

What are some suggestions to help prevent accidents such as the one that happened to
Rhonda Williams?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 19

What is ketamine?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 18

Describe the feedback loop and how adrenaline creates that familiar energy rush.

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 17

Based on the information in the book and in the handout, what type of viral life cycle do Ebola have?  What facts from the book support your statement?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 16

What factors make Kitum Cave “a nice place for a virus to jump species?” 

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 15

Ebola and other similar viruses are said to “hide”.  How and where does a virus strain “hide” ?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 14

How does a pressure suit work to keep viruses away from your body? How did this protect Rhonda?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 13

If it’s hot inside and cold outside, what happens if you open a window? What are the
dangerous consequences associated with this possibility?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 12

Describe all the human contacts you have had since you got up this morning. In case of a
dangerous exposure, how would you begin the process of contacting them and maybe
quarantining them?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 11

What is a blood clot and how does it cause organ damage?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 10

How does bleach kill microbes?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 9

How did they euthanize the monkeys? Was it humane?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 8

What are the symptoms of monkeys that contract the virus and die? Did they compare to
the Ebola victims? Describe.

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 7

How are cold and flu viruses transmitted?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 6

What are the similarities/differences between Kitum Cave and the Reston Monkey House
as habitats for living organisms?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 5

What is the main rule of the airlock that allows it to work?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 4

What size would pores in a virus filter have to be?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 3

Why would they use a bubble stretcher instead of a regular stretcher?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 2

Why didn’t the army officials just let the virus kill off all the monkeys?

Part 3: Chapter 20-29 Question 1

What would you do if you were involved in the Reston operation and you saw one of the
monkeys escape its cage?