My fascination for viruses began with the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic which caused great panic throughout the world. In spite of this, I did not plan to study virology till late into my Bachelors studies in Microbiology. Our course basically concentrated on bacteria compared to parasites, fungi and viruses in that order. Therefore, I was naturally more curious about viruses since we had only a chapter on them in our textbook and thus delved more into the common virology textbooks by Fields and Flint & Racaniello. I also took up a course on Coursera titled ‘How Viruses Cause Disease’ by Dr. Vincent Racaniello to learn more about them. I was amazed as to how such minute creatures, the size of nanometres, could cause such massive epidemics and cause significant damage to human life. And the basis for this is their ability to overpower the immune system through sheer numbers and deception. Due to this curiosity about the subject, I felt that it will be a very challenging yet rewarding experience to make a career as a virologist since there are still many lacunae in this field which I could address and this was one of the main reasons why I decided to shift focus from general microbiology to virology for my Masters.
This summer we had an opportunity to dive into the world of bioweapons, through Richard Preston’s novel The Demon in the Freezer. His book explored the colorful world of smallpox and its use as a biological weapon. Earlier this week we were graced with this authors present for an ACES event. He discussed some of the found topics in his book such as animal testing, what small pox is, and even its eradication. One of the great things we had the chance of vocalizing were our many opinions on the gloom associated with this intriguing disease.
The medical field is a vast land of beauty, but with great beauty comes immense horror. There are many deadly viruses and diseases found in the medical field. In the novel, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, the author discusses the many deadly viruses found in the field. The viruses are widespread due to the errors that occur when the viruses are in the presence of human beings. The effects of the errors performed by the human race include a decrease in population and wildlife.
Herpes Simplex is a common virus that causes infection in humans. This virus is spread in both humans and animals. However, humans are the primary reservoirs for HSV and are the only ones that experience any symptoms. There are two types of Herpes Simplex known as HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 primarily causes oral herpes while HSV-2 causes genital herpes.1 This virus is easily contracted and often during one’s childhood. Unfortunately, this virus is latent and reoccurs every so often, more so during times of stress. Herpes Simplex is a mild infection for most, however, this virus can lead to many serious complications.
Disease and parasitism play a pervasive role in all life. Many of these diseases start with microparasites, which are characterized by their ability to reproduce directly within an individual host. They are also characterized by their small size, short duration of infection, and the production of an immune response in infected and recovered individuals. Microparasites which damage hosts in the course of their association are recognized as pathogens. The level of the interaction and the extent of the resultant damage depends on both the virulence of the pathogen, as well as the host defenses. If the pathogen can overcome the host defenses, the host will be damaged and may not survive. If on the other hand the host defenses overcome the pathogen, the microparasite may fail to establish itself within the host and die.
“The Influenza Pandemic of 1918.” Billings, Molly. Stanford University Virology. June 1, 1997. retrieved from http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/
One of the most virulent strains of influenza in history ravaged the world and decimated the populations around the world. Present during World War I, the 1918 strain of pandemic influenza found many opportunities to spread through the war. At the time, science wasn’t advanced enough to study the virus, much less find a cure; medical personnel were helpless when it came to fighting the disease, and so the flu went on to infect millions and kill at a rate 25 times higher than the standard.
...ving things carry viruses in their cells. Even fungi and bacteria and inhabited by viruses and are occasionally destroyed by them. A virus makes copies of itself in a cell until eventually the cell gets pigged with virus and pops and the viruses spill out of the broken cell. If enough cells are destroyed, such as they do in the case of Ebola, the host dies. A virus does not "want" to kill its host. That is not in the best interest of the virus, because then the virus may also die, unless it can jump fast enough out of the dying host into a new host.
Billings, Molly. “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918.” virus.stanford.edu. Modified RDS, 2005. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
As you exit the bus, another passenger next to you starts to cough, and then you hold the handrail as you exit the bus. Since you’re late getting home, you take a shortcut through a field to get home quicker. These three simple acts just exposed you to bacteria, viruses, and insects that could cause illness or even death. Infectious diseases, also known as communicable disease, are spread by germs. Germs are living things that are found in the air, in the soil, and in water. You can be exposed to germs in many ways, including touching, eating, drinking or breathing something that contains a germ. Animal and insect bites can also spread germs.1
Childhood vaccinations have received a lot of media in the past few years, and parents continue to question whether or not they should have their children vaccinated. This topic is a very important issue because it seems to be a trend in our society where parents are not vaccinating their children. This then leads their children becoming more susceptible to unnecessary diseases/viruses that can be prevented with vaccines. The focus of the following articles was on the association of the specific vaccines measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), and vaccines containing thimerosal, which has been a speculated reason for the cause of autism. This contentious hypothesis has many parents failing to vaccinate their children; this is especially true of many friends and family members of mine. They believe that vaccines can cause autism, and I want to prove otherwise.
Hvistendahl, M, Cohen, J et. al. 2013. ‘New Flu Virus in China Worries and Confuses’ Science 340: 129-130
Virus- An infectious agent found in virtually all life forms, including humans, animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Viruses touch us every day through water, food, physical contact, blood, animals, or even, the air you breathe. Although most are harmless, there are some that are not.... ...
The occurrence of infectious disease and epidemics has speckled the history of humanity since the first civilization established itself. Considering that a large population can help to foster infectious diseases, and humans share almost 300 communicable agents with animals, the outbreak of epidemics is inextricably intertwined with revol...
To answer the question, “Are viruses alive?” , I had to embark on a mentally exhausting quest, pondering the very reason for human existence and life itself, while holding back tears because the vastness of universe is a little too scary. With probably one, maybe two, biology classes, or a quick Google search, a person can easily find out viruses are not classified as living creatures, for they do not replicate the way “normal” living things do and their requirement of a host cell.
My interest in the role of microbes and viruses began from UG classes (1993-1999) wherein professors taught us...