Viruses: The Tiny Agents Of Disease

Viruses are miniscule organisms which are too small to be seen with a normal microscope. Invented in the 1940s, the electron microscope allowed scientists to see that a virus is nothing more than a core of genetic material (RNA or DNA), concealed in a protective protein coat. The tiny agents of disease are not referred to as living things, due to the fact that they cannot replicate on their own. They must attack the cells of another living organism and take over the cells' machinery to then make a replication of themselves. Once the virus has attack the hosts' cells, they replicate rapidly, thy then continue to spread through the body and cause illness. Some illnesses that are caused by viruses attack the body causing the illness but it leaves after a short period of time – such as the common cold, flu, measles, mumps, and chicken pox. Others, such as cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus, remain in the body for life, laying dominate until triggered by an external change. …show more content…
Since the 1980’s, after the virus that caused AIDS began to spread and gain more attention, medical researchers began to focus their attention to the problem of treating viral infections, some progress in this area has been made. Rather than killing the virus organisms, the antiviral drugs block the steps of the process in which viruses replicate themselves. Some antiviral drugs can also encourage the hosts’ immune system so the body is able to fight the viruses