Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: thedoc on 31/01/2012 15:26:39

Title: Are there any beneficial viruses?
Post by: thedoc on 31/01/2012 15:26:39
Dear Chris,

I'm wondering if there are any naturally-occurring beneficial viruses, and in particular, in the human body?

Thank you so much for the best podcasts on the web!

My very best wishes,

Kathlyn Powell
Asked by Kathlyn Powell


                                        Visit the webpage for the podcast in which this question is answered. (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/show/20120129/)

 

Title: Are any naturally-occurring beneficial viruses?
Post by: Nizzle on 10/11/2011 09:09:06
Yes, there are bacteria (strains of E. coli) that live in our intestinal flora and metabolize Vitamin K2 for us.
Title: Are any naturally-occurring beneficial viruses?
Post by: Bored chemist on 10/11/2011 18:47:40
E coli and its like are not viruses.
However there are viruses which kill bacteria and they can be beneficial.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy
Title: Are any naturally-occurring beneficial viruses?
Post by: CliffordK on 10/11/2011 22:22:55
Cowpox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpox) may be considered a beneficial virus...

Well, it was a few years ago at least.
Title: Are any naturally-occurring beneficial viruses?
Post by: cheryl j on 11/11/2011 21:11:59
Well anything that is parasitic, explodes healthy cells in order to release copies of itself into your system, or potentially messes with your DNA, is probably not going to be benefitial. Still, you'd think by chance alone there might one virus that contributed something useful. A few years back there was a big story in a lot of newspapers about influenza infection causing remissions in some cancers, but I've never seen anything about it since, and wonder if it was disproven.
Title: Are any naturally-occurring beneficial viruses?
Post by: Nizzle on 15/11/2011 06:37:38
Woops, sorry about the E.coli mishap. I must've had a temporarily reading disorder :)

There are bactericidal viruses (example: T4 bacteriophages) and few cases have been documented where a person was accidentally cured from a bacterial infection by getting a viral infection at the same time, but they were more exceptions and never scientifically reproducible.

If the bacterial infection would be a greater health risk than the viral infection, than that virus would be considered beneficial.

More and more, viruses are engineered to fight bacterial infections or even cancer.. Example (http://www.lifescientist.com.au/article/349461/british_biotech_boasts_antibiotic_breakthrough/?fp=4194304&fpid=1)
Title: None
Post by: Nick on 04/01/2013 19:02:36
I'm sure that if we removed all viruses the balance of nature would get messed up somehow and therefore I think viruses are beneficial.
Title: None
Post by: Vinaykumar Hallur on 12/11/2013 16:12:03
Well there has been a virus called HS101 which has been approved in china  for the treatment of head and neck cancers
Title: None
Post by: Jan on 03/11/2014 03:18:07
I had the same question and this article might shed some light onto the topic... :-)
http://jmm.sgmjournals.org/content/58/4/531.full