Yersinia pestis is still around in the world. Ebola virus Courtesy of CDC Ebola, the Bloody Virus Some of you at the beginning of this page might have thought of the Ebola virus as the scariest, deadliest microbe you've ever heard of. Those of you who did so have probably seen the movie Outbreak or read The Hot Zone, which spotlighted this grisly virus. Ebola is definitely a nasty killer. It is part of a group of viruses that, among other effects on the body, cause the blood to stop clotting.
Victims begin oozing blood from their mouths, noses, internal organs, even their eyes.
With that kind of death rate, Ebola would be the deadliest microbe of all if it was more common. Fortunately, infections by this virus are pretty rare. There have only been seven outbreaks in humans. While outbreaks of this virus are rare and relatively small, Ebola is still one mean microbe that I wouldn't ever want to tangle with. If you want to meet someone who has tackled Ebola, visit my interview with Dr. Ali Kahn in the Careers section.