What are viruses?
An infective agent that typically consists of a DNA acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by a microscope, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host; viruses are smaller than any infectious bacterial particles.
Viruses rely on the host cells they infect to reproduce. While outside of host cells, viruses are protein coats or capsids, sometimes inside a layer of film. The capsid carries DNA or RNA1 which give the virus its unique features. In this state the virus is metabolically inert, or it doesn’t use any of its resources to make energy.
1 - Ribonucleic acid: it performs as a messenger for the DNA cells; it manufactures the proteins for living cells using the DNA’s genetic information.
When were viruses discovered and who discovered them?
The first discovery happened by a scientist named Ivanovski who took extracts from a tobacco plant and found that it was infected in some sort of way never seen before. He took it to his house and discovered the first virus. Beijerinck, a scientist, found the same disease as Ivanovski but was the first to call it a virus. These two scientists and the disease they found is one of the greatest finds in virology history.
How do viruses infect?
When a virus meets a host cell, it injects its genetic material into its host, taking over the host’s
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That covers everything from cold and flu viruses to more serious clinical pathogens like HIV and hepatitis viruses and ultimately even more deadly viruses like Ebola and smallpox." ‘ said Rider, because Rider and his team have managed to create a drug that may be capable of killing a range of 15 unique viruses, there may be hope for treating viral infections. The new drug, DRACO, searches for cells with double stranded RNA—a definite sign of a viral infection. If the drug finds a virus, it sends a message to the cell to