How Viruses Invade the Living World

Viruses are some of the smallest of the microorganisms. They’re stated to be as small as 50 billion viruses (that cause the common flu) can fit on the head of a needle. They’re unique in that they’re able to only survive and multiply within the living cells of others living things, although they can infect other things.

Most viruses are malicious, meaning they do harm to both themselves and to the living host cells they inhabit. In order for viruses to replicate and spread, they have to attach themselves to a host cell. This is usually done through the bloodstream or lymph system. Once a virus gets onto a host cell, it replicates itself many times over into thousands or millions of copies. Because of this, when the body is threatened by a virus, it responds by making antibodies to fight off these invading viruses.

While there are many different types of viruses, they’re grouped according to how they spread from one cell to another. Most viruses circulate by clinging to the surface of cells and then traveling through the body through the blood stream. There they latch onto other cells until they reach their destination, which may be in the form of an infection, or the body’s defense mechanism kicking the virus out. Other viruses circulate inside cells, damaging them before they can leave the cell. These are known as antigens, and can cause serious problems in the body when too much virus is present.

While many viruses are harmless, there are others that can cause major illness or even death. A common example of this type of virus is AIDS. Some viruses attach to the host cell and then replicate within its DNA, altering the genetic material to make it very resistant to disease. HIV is one example of this, as is the SARS virus, orsevere outbreak of SARS within Hong Kong and other Asian countries in recent years.

While the process is complicated, the basic blueprint for a virus is fairly simple. The outer membrane, or outer layer of the virus, is known as the viral envelope. The viral envelope is made up of two layers – the viral envelope and the genetic material that makes it up. The genetic material is the set of instructions the virus requires to reproduce itself. Once the virus attaches itself to a host cell, a process called infection sets in. The cell copies the viral envelope, changes it into a form that allows it to enter the host cell, and then replicates itself inside the host cell.

A virus is a living cell that can only be affected by its own replication process. Therefore, if the virus cannot replicate itself, it cannot become infectious. Most viruses make themselves perfectly safe by making sure they don’t infect living cells. However, occasionally a virus makes it through the protection mechanism and into the realm of infectious agent. Such viruses can be as dangerous as any other infectious agent, but they can pose the greatest threat to human health – to humans who are already vulnerable. And in a situation where the threat level has already been increased by a virus, there are few options available to protect against that virus’ impact other than attempting to contain or kill the virus before it becomes a problem.