Viruses And Its Effects On Humans

We hear how Henrietta’s cells helped learn and find cures about so many viruses, but what is a virus? A virus is a microscopic organism that only replicates within the cells of a host organism. One of the most well known viruses Henrietta’s cells helped us with was the polio virus. Polio virus is a viral infection of your central nervous system. Polio virus is a lytic virus meaning that, polio goes through reproduction and the cells bursts. Polio virus’s most extensive outbreak was in the early to mid-1990s. Thankfully the vaccine was released in 1995.

When we hear the word virus, we usually think of something that makes us sick. A virus is an ultramicroscopic infectious organism that, having no independent metabolic activity, can replicate only within a cell of another host organism. A virus consists of a core of nucleic acid, either RNA or DNA, surrounded by a coating of antigenic protein and sometimes a lipid layer surrounds it as well. The viral genome provides the genetic code for replication, and the host cell provides the necessary energy and raw materials. To fight viruses, we use vaccines. While some may infect a broad range, other viruses can only infect certain kinds of cells. Vaccines are made of inactive, dead or weakened virus cells or protein antigens that can no longer infect

The biological significance of this article is due in part to the fact that viruses are being considered as partway-living things. Even though they are only halfway living, per se, they are still an important part of the study of living things because of the unique way in which they “live” and continue to reproduce by taking advantage of host cells. The information in this article relates to biologists in that viruses provide an entirely different element of potential life, as they are a cause for reconsideration when it comes to defining and determining life and non-life forms. This

Viruses are microscopic particles that invade and take over both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. They consist of two structures, which are the nucleic acid and capsid. The nucleic acid contains all genetic material in the form of DNA or RNA, and is enclosed in the capsid, which is the protein coating that helps the virus attach to and penetrate the host cell. In some cases, certain viruses have a membrane surrounding the capsid, called an envelope. This structure allows viruses to become more stealthy and protected. There are two cycles in which a virus can go into: lytic and lysogenic. The lytic cycle consists of the virus attaching to a cell, injecting its DNA, and creating more viruses, which proceed to destroy the host. On the other hand, the lysogenic cycle includes the virus attaching to the cell, injecting its DNA, which combines with the cell’s DNA in order for it to become provirus. Then, the provirus DNA may eventually switch to the lytic cycle and destroy the host.

Viruses - are extremely small particles made from protein and either DNA or RNA. They are not made up of cells instead they invade the living cells of other organisms and use them to produce many copies of

Unlike bacteria, that have everything it needs to reproduce, viruses need to use a living cell's organelles in order to replicate.

Viruses are microscopic organisms that can only replicate inside cells of the host organism. Viruses for the most part are so small you would have to use a conventional optical microscope. Viruses can infect any and all types of organisms, such as animals (to include Humans), plants and even bacteria as well as archaea (archaea constitutes a domain or kingdom of single-celled microorganisms). There are millions of different types of viruses. With viruses being believed to be the most abundant type of biological entity, they can be virtually found in every ecosystem on the planet.

One of the most complex and unexplored disease causing agents are viruses. They are known to be able to infect a wide array of organisms, from plants and animals, to bacteria and fungi. Essentially, anything that is living is capable of being infected with a virus. Once the host's cell is infected, the viruses' goal is to produce more viruses which will infect neighboring cells to continue the cycle.

After looking at many articles I believe that viruses are not alive. Even though in the beginning I believed they were. For an object to be alive it needs to have certain characteristics such as being able to: grow, develop, have a purpose, reproduce, adapt, and have cells. A living thing could reproduce which means they would make offspring. Viruses don't have the ability to grow and develop on their own. Viruses don’t have the ability to reproduce on their own without the help of a keeper

A virus is a small nucleic acid molecule that can only multiply within a living cell of the actual host. It can produce a copy of that specific virus at an alarming rate. They are becoming more dangerous today. We need to build a better knowledge base to educate healthcare professionals and parents that bacteria and viruses are two different animals. Giving an antibiotic for a virus is not going to help; it will eventually cause antibiotic resistance. With viruses, the symptoms just need to be managed with over the counter medication, rest, and letting it run its course.

There is much scientific debate about whether viruses are alive. Like living creatures, they carry genes and evolve. They are unable to reproduce on their own and must infect living cells and hijack cellular machinery such as ribosomes to copy themselves. Each virus is like a little tank that can blast a hole in the outer cell wall and send its forces in. These intruders change the blueprints in the factory’s headquarters so the factory starts producing more viral tanks.

During the lytic and lysogenic cycle, viruses reproduce at a rapid pace resulting in abundant of mutations, thus allowing it to undergo natural selection. Natural selection is the “survival of the fittest” and occurs in viruses mutations that later evolves into evolution. If the mutation is favorable to its environment the virus will continue reproducing with the mutations in order to obtain a higher survival rate. If a virus enters a host cell it is categorized as foreign species and will either go into the lytic or lysogenic cycle. Viruses that enters the lytic cycle (“now or never”) will have a 12 hour time period to reproduce and bust the host cell to infect surrounding cells. Contradicting the lytic cycle, the lysogenic cycle has an

Viruses are a nuisance for organisms alike yet a rather fascinating part of biology, they can be contracted just by every way possible while possess the ability to kill both plants and animals and in the mild yet common scenario of the annual flus for us humans that literally gives us headaches among other symptoms. One particularly interesting virus is the Varicella Zoster Virus, or VZV. It’s a different version of the virus that can cause herpes with a slightly altered genetic sequence which causes the disease of Chickenpox, what makes it different from its counterpart is that it’s not as serious but what they’re similar in is they both have the characteristics of staying with us for the rest of our lives once we contracted them. This capability comes down to the genetic coding, the programing that allows the VZV virus to stay in us and reactivate in the distant future.

In order to fully understand these articles, one must have background information regarding the topic. Not only do you need to have a basic understanding of disease and infection, you have to understand what a viruses is. The Campbell Biology in Focus textbook describes a virus as “an infectious particle consisting of little more than genes packaged in a protein coat” (Campbell). We must understand that a virus consists

The protective capsid helps the virus escape detection and destruction during the invasion of the host. When the virus reaches the target cell, biochemical reactions between the capsid and cell wall allow the virus to latch on and inject its genome into the cell’s interior. Once inside, the viral genetic material insinuates itself into the host’s DNA or RNA. In an efficient feat of natural bioengineering, the host cell’s genetic machinery now does the rest of the work for the virus. The cell, which had already been making copies of its own genome, now also replicates that of the virus. Coded within the viral material is the blueprint for making more copies of the viral genome. Further instructions command the production of capsids and directions for assembly of new viruses. After the host cell becomes engorged with viruses, it explodes, sending the new