The Hot Zone: Part 2, Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

On November 28th, Tom Geisbert gets up at 4 AM and drives to Fort Detrick. He slices pieces of monkey liver with the diamond knife, puts them under his microscope, and takes photographs of the virus particles within the liver. This confirms that the viruses are coming from the Reston monkeys rather than from outside contamination. He takes his photographs to Peter Jahrling and C. J. Peters, and the three men now must wait for Jahrling to complete his tests to see whether the strain really is Marburg.

As he works on his tests, Peter Jahrling decides that he must notify Dan Dalgard—but at the same time, he must make sure not to cause panic. On the phone he tells Dalgard that the monkeys definitely have simian hemorrhagic fever, but that they might also have another disease. Dalgard demands to know what it is, but Jahrling refuses to tell him. Dalgard begins to suspect, however, that the monkeys might have Marburg. When Dalgard confronts Jahrling with the possible diagnosis, Jahrling says that the second virus is most likely not Marburg, but that Dalgard and his employees should try not to expose themselves unnecessarily. Upset, Dalgard asks when they will know for sure. Jahrling promises to call him back later that day.

Shaken, Dan Dalgard considers the possibilities if the virus is indeed Marburg. He reassures himself by remembering that he has been autopsying monkeys since October, but has not fallen ill. He calls Bill Volt and orders him not to open up any more monkeys, then waits for a phone call from Peter Jahrling. As he does, he wonders whether any of his employees have cut themselves with scalpels while dissecting the sick monkeys. He begins thinking about the symptoms of Marburg, and at 5:30 finally calls Jahrling, but is unable to reach him. Annoyed, Dalgard heads home.

As Dan Dalgard waits and worries, Peter Jahrling works in his spacesuit. He plans to combine samples of the virus with the blood serum of humans who have died of different strains of Ebola. If a combination glows under ultraviolet light, that will confirm that the viruses match. He is using three different serums: that of Dr. Shem Musoke, who survived Marburg; that of a man named Boniface who died of Ebola Sudan; and that of Nurse Mayinga, who died of Ebola Zaire. When the results are finally ready, Peter Jahrling looks through his microscope at the samples. The Musoke doesn’t glow at all; the Boniface glows slightly; the Mayinga’s glow is bright. This means that the monkeys in Reston do not have Marburg—they have Ebola Zaire. Horrified, Peter Jahrling stands for a moment, frozen, listening to the beat of his own heart.