Viruses have been getting a lot of publicity recently with the rise of COVID-19 and its subsequent variants. But what actually is a virus? And how do viruses differ from other forms of pathogens? Recently, the rise of flu season has led to further questions about the differences between COVID-19 and influenza and how they can overlap. The term virus is broad and dynamic, encompassing a wide variety of pathogenic microorganisms that replicate inside living cells. Pretty much every type of living organism is a victim of viral infection to some extent. And viruses have left an indelible mark on…
Comments closedTag: Viral Replication
Over the past couple of months, the resurgence of Covid-19 cases has been disappointing, to say the least. Just as we were gaining ground in the battle against this virus, it launched a brutal counterattack—the Delta variant. Covid-19 isn’t the first virus to employ this sort of adaptable retaliation survival strategy. In fact, quick mutation and evolution is a viral mainstay—one that enabled viruses to persist and become the most prevalent “organism” on Earth. But how does something that is essentially just some DNA wrapped in a protein shell evolve and change its strategy quickly enough to throw even 21st…
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We’ve talked a lot about Covid-19 the past couple weeks — what type of virus it is and how it spreads. What I haven’t touched on yet is what viruses actually are and how they work. Virus is a broad category referring to genetic material (DNA or RNA) encased in a protein shell. Viruses don’t contain any cellular machinery of their own and therefore cannot replicate themselves nor their genetic material. Instead, they inject their genetic material into a cell and hijack the cell’s machinery to construct copies of the virus. This process can end with complete cell lysis (breaking open…
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