They never learn: Chinese scientists create mutant EBOLA virus

 Chinese scientists have engineered a pathogen with parts of the Ebola virus in a laboratory, ostensibly to better study the eponymous disease it causes – but conveniently forgetting the lessons of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Big League Politics reported, citing the Daily Mail, that researchers at Hebei Medical University were responsible for this dangerous endeavor. The scientists "utilized a contagious disease of livestock and added a protein found in Ebola, which allows the pathogen to infect cells and spread throughout the human body." This oddly mirrored the gain-of-function research done with bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which later gave rise to COVID-19.

The resulting pathogen was then injected into hamsters, who died within two to three days. Predictably, those given the lethal virus "developed severe systemic diseases similar to those observed in human Ebola patients – including multi-organ failure" as per the study published in the journal Virologica Sinica. "One particularly horrific symptom saw the infected hamsters develop secretions in their eyes, which impaired their vision and scabbed over the surface of the eyeballs."

"The study suggested that infected hamsters could be a decent model for studying the spread and treatment of Ebola in the future," the Mail pointed out. "But lab leaks happen, and these incidents could lead to the spread of [the modified pathogen] to those outside of the lab.

Ebola needs to be handled in Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) facilities which are special high security laboratories, while many are only BSL-2. The WIV is one example of a BSL-4 facility, but SARS-CoV-2 – a product of gain-of-function research – managed to escape its confines.

"Apparently, the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic haven't been learned. Dangerous biolab experiments continue – humanity be damned," Big League Politics said.

China making the next BIOWEAPON against humanity

The Mail continued that the researchers harvested organs from the dead animals. They found that the virus accumulated in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, intestines and brain tissues. The highest viral load was found in the liver, while the lowest was in the brain.

Given the stringent BSL-2 security requirement for Ebola, the scientists used the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) for their experiment. They engineered VSV, which mainly infects livestock, to carry a part of the Ebola virus called glycoprotein (GP). The GP plays a crucial role in helping the virus enter and infect host cells. 

According to Big League Politics, Ebola ravaged parts of Africa 10 years ago. The National Library of Medicine defines Ebola virus disease, formerly called Ebola hemorrhagic fever, as an "iconic hemorrhagic fever."

More common symptoms of the disease are non-specific such as fever, malaise, headache, diarrhea or vomiting. Ebola virus disease can quickly progress to multiple organ failure leading to shock, followed by death. The case fatality rate ranges from between 25 and 90 percent, with the average rate about 50 percent.

"Experts have confirmed that respiratory viruses – which are spared via coughing and sneezing – are more likely to spread widely through a population," the British tabloid continued." Data released this March revealed that lab leak incidents occur every year and include the release of controlled pathogens like tuberculosis and anthrax.