Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: QueenBee on 11/06/2006 02:06:31

Title: viruses???????????
Post by: QueenBee on 11/06/2006 02:06:31
how do a viruses cause diseases[8D]

Julia Knight
Title: Re: viruses???????????
Post by: another_someone on 11/06/2006 10:52:51
quote:
Originally posted by QueenBee
how do a viruses cause diseases[8D]



In a simple analogy, think about some of those 'aliens invade earth' B-movies, where aliens invade human bodies, and turn them into zombies to do their own bidding.  In a way, that is what a virus does to an ordinary living cell (e.g. the cell of a human body).  What happens after the the virus invades the cells of the human body varies depending upon the individual virus, and the individual human.  The human body may just accept the virus as part of itself, and the two life hapily ever after; or the human could mount a massive attack on the virus (and this will often involve raising the body temperature, and thus causing a fever); or the virus could just quietly go about invading more and more cells until it cripples a key human function (e.g. the HIV virus crippling the immune system).

Pretty much the same question was asked at:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=848

And a slightly tangental discussion went on in:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3440



George