`BIOL-Learning Journal Unit 2

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Northern Virginia Community College *

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Jan 9, 2024

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Learning Journal Unit 2 The topic of the article is the discovery and treatment of hepatitis C. It wasn't an easy road because science could only identify Hepatitis A and B until the twentieth century. Scientists discovered this mutated version of the Hepatitis A and B virus in 1984, and it was not responding to treatments and medications in the same way as the first two variants. Knowing the virus's particles and behavior enabled scientists to begin screening blood in order to prevent the virus's spread in the future, and they were eventually able to develop a cure that helped save the world from these deadly viruses (NIH, 2016). Hepatitis C was not discovered and identified over night; in fact, scientists were not sure what to call this virus for a long time, but it was named after its symptoms, which were similar to those of Hepatitis A and B. Investigators at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) Hepatitis Branch were finally able to identify hepatitis A virus in the 1970s, and after collaborating with the NIH Clinical Center's Division of Transfusion Medicine, they had enough evidence that this new mysterious virus was neither hepatitis A nor hepatitis B. The evidence and results proved that there is another virus or possibly a variant that has yet to be discovered, because the virus caused more liver damage and had a higher risk of chronic disease than hepatitis B. Above all, it was asymptomatic, which means that people would not show symptoms until the virus had progressed to a chronic stage, long after they had been infected. Scientists didn't have enough evidence and information on this new virus for the first 15 years, but because of its similarities, it was dubbed non-A, non-B hepatitis. Then, in 1989, scientists from Chiron, a California biotechnology company, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated on research that helped them identify the non-A, non-B hepatitis virus, which they officially named hepatitis C virus (NIH, 2016). When we compare the above situation to the information in Biology Chapter 21, we can see that most viruses become resistant when they are treated with antibiotics to remove them from the immune system, and the virus's resistance particles then reproduce and start a new variant of the virus (Rye et al., 2016). When scientists used antiviral drugs to treat the hepatitis A and B viruses, the same thing happened. When an antiviral drug worked inside the body, it killed most of the virus but not all of it, and the remaining particles became resistant to the drug over time, they evolved and became strong enough to fight the drug, resulting in the discovery of a new variant, which led to the development of new antiviral drugs, treatments, and experiments (NIH, 2016). Scientists worked hard to study the virus and develop vaccines for it, but soon after, a delta variant of COVID-19 emerged, necessitating stronger vaccines than before. Finally, we cannot interfere with the natural selection process of mutation and survival of the fittest in this case, but we can be prepared by anticipating that new variants will emerge once any virus in our world is cured. References:
Rye, C., Wise, R., Jurukivski, V., DeSaix, J., Choi, J., & Avissar, Y. (2016). Biology. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/book s/biology/pages/1- introduction The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center. (2016, June 9). Hepatitis C: from non-A,non-B hepatitis to a cure. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.go v/news/archive/2016/stor y-discovery-hepatitis-c- from-non-a- non- b-hepatitis-cur Rye, C., Wise, R., Jurukivski, V., DeSaix, J., Choi, J., & Avissar, Y. (2016). Biology. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/biology/pages/1-introduction The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center. (2016, June 9). Hepatitis C: from non-A, non-B hepatitis to a cure. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/news/archive/2016/story-discovery-hepatitis-c-from-non-a-non-b- hepatitis-cure
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