Cross section through an ebola virus particle, illustration

Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of a cross section through an ebola virus particle. The virus is surrounded by a membrane (pink/purple) stolen from an infected cell, and studded with Ebola glycoproteins (turquoise; extend outwards and look like trees rooted in the membrane). A layer of matrix proteins (blue) support the membrane on the inside, and hold a cylindrical nucleocapsid (green) at the centre, which stores and delivers the RNA genome (yellow). The width of the virus is approximately 100 nanometres to the outer edge of the membrane. The ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family of viruses and causes ebola virus disease (EVD) or ebola haemorrhagic fever in humans. Symptoms of this often fatal illness include sudden onset of fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, sore throat and intense muscle weakness followed by diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases internal and external bleeding. Ebola virus disease first appeared during outbreaks in Africa in the mid-1970s. The virus spreads between humans through direct contact with infected blood, secretions and organs, or with surfaces or bedding already contaminated with these fluids. Wellcome Image Awards Overall Winner 2016.