Publisher's Synopsis
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents, including (but not limited to) their taxonomy, disease-producing properties, cultivation and genetics. It is often considered a part of microbiology or pathology. In the early years this discipline was dependent upon advances in the chemical and physical sciences, but viruses soon became tools for probing basic biochemical processes of cells. Viruses have traditionally been viewed in a rather negative context as agents responsible for disease that must be controlled or eliminated. However, viruses also have certain beneficial properties that can be exploited for useful purposes. Molecular virology is the study of viruses on a molecular level. Viruses are submicroscopic parasites that replicate inside host cells. They are able to successfully infect and parasitize all kinds of life forms- from microorganisms to plants and animals- and as a result viruses have more biological diversity than the rest of the bacterial, plant, and animal kingdoms combined. Studying this diversity is the key to a better understanding of how viruses interact with their hosts, replicate inside them, and cause diseases. It may come as a surprise to learn that every animal, plant and protist species on this planet is infected with viruses. Of course this is a generalization as not every species has been examined - far from it, as new species are being discovered almost every day, but those that have been tested all yield up new virus isolates. Further, not only do viruses occur universally but each species has its own specific range of viruses that, by and large, infects only that species. Thus, one can take the number of known human viruses (humans being the best studied host species) and multiply by the number of species in the world to obtain an estimate of the total number of extant virus genomes. These notions immediately inspire questions as what the viruses are doing there, and what selective advantage, if any, they afford to the species that hosts them. The answer to the first is the same as to the question as to what a lion is doing there - just existing in a particular environment, except the environment for a virus is another species. The answer to whether or not any benefit accrues for hosting a virus is not known - more is known about the downside of virus infections. However, it is clear that the viruses have not made their hosts extinct. Current Issues in Molecular Virology is an assortment of articles and cases dealing with RNA and DNA viruses, and issues such as how these gene packages have learnt to take advantage of their hosts, molecular recognition events that hosts may use to counterattack the viruses, and how researchers have developed approaches to use viruses or their parts as tools for diverse purposes. The book features articles on virus replication, virus-host biology, viral pathogenesis, immunity to viruses, virus structure, and virus evolution and ecology. Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents, including (but not limited to) their taxonomy, disease-producing properties, cultivation and genetics. It is often considered a part of microbiology or pathology. In the early years this discipline was dependent upon advances in the chemical and physical sciences, but viruses soon became tools for probing basic biochemical processes of cells. Viruses have traditionally been viewed in a rather negative context as agents responsible for disease that must be controlled or eliminated. However, viruses also have certain beneficial properties that can be exploited for useful purposes. Molecular virology is the study of viruses on a molecular level. Viruses are submicroscopic parasites that replicate inside host cells. They are able to successfully infect and parasitize all kinds of life forms- from microorganisms to plants and animals- and as a result viruses have more biological diversity than the rest of the bacterial, plant, and animal kingdoms combined. Studying this diversity is the key to a better understanding of how viruses interact with their hosts, replicate inside them, and cause diseases. It may come as a surprise to learn that every animal, plant and protist species on this planet is infected with viruses. Of course this is a generalization as not every species has been examined - far from it, as new species are being discovered almost every day, but those that have been tested all yield up new virus isolates. Further, not only do viruses occur universally but each species has its own specific range of viruses that, by and large, infects only that species. Thus, one can take the number of known human viruses (humans being the best studied host species) and multiply by the number of species in the world to obtain an estimate of the total number of extant virus genomes. These notions immediately inspire questions as what the viruses are doing there, and what selective advantage, if any, they afford to the species that hosts them. The answer to the first is the same as to the question as to what a lion is doing there - just existing in a particular environment, except the environment for a virus is another species. The answer to whether or not any benefit accrues for hosting a virus is not known - more is known about the downside of virus infections. However, it is clear that the viruses have not made their hosts extinct. Current Issues in Molecular Virology is an assortment of articles and cases dealing with RNA and DNA viruses, and issues such as how these gene packages have learnt to take advantage of their hosts, molecular recognition events that hosts may use to counterattack the viruses, and how researchers have developed approaches to use viruses or their parts as tools for diverse purposes. The book features articles on virus replication, virus-host biology, viral pathogenesis, immunity to viruses, virus structure, and virus evolution and ecology. Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents, including (but not limited to) their taxonomy, disease-producing properties, cultivation and genetics. It is often considered a part of microbiology or pathology. In the early years this discipline was dependent upon advances in the chemical and physical sciences, but viruses soon became tools for probing basic biochemical processes of cells. Viruses have traditionally been viewed in a rather negative context as agents responsible for disease that must be controlled or eliminated. However, viruses also have certain beneficial properties that can be exploited for useful purposes. Molecular virology is the study of viruses on a molecular level. Viruses are submicroscopic parasites that replicate inside host cells. They are able to successfully infect and parasitize all kinds of life forms- from microorganisms to plants and animals- and as a result viruses have more biological diversity than the rest of the bacterial, plant, and animal kingdoms combined. Studying this diversity is the key to a better understanding of how viruses interact with their hosts, replicate inside them, and cause diseases. It may come as a surprise to learn that every animal, plant and protist species on this planet is infected with viruses. Of course this is a generalization as not every species has been examined - far from it, as new species are being discovered almost every day, but those that have been tested all yield up new virus isolates. Further, not only do viruses occur universally but each species has its own specific range of viruses that, by and large, infects only that species. Thus, one can take the number of known human viruses (humans being the best studied host species) and multiply by the number of species in the world to obtain an estimate of the total number of extant virus genomes. These notions immediately inspire questions as what the viruses are doing there, and what selective advantage, if any, they afford to the species that hosts them. The answer to the first is the same as to the question as to what a lion is doing there - just existing in a particular environment, except the environment for a virus is another species. The answer to whether or not any benefit accrues for hosting a virus is not known - more is known about the downside of virus infections. However, it is clear that the viruses have not made their hosts extinct. Current Issues in Molecular Virology is an assortment of articles and cases dealing with RNA and DNA viruses, and issues such as how these gene packages have learnt to take advantage of their hosts, molecular recognition events that hosts may use to counterattack the viruses, and how researchers have developed approaches to use viruses or their parts as tools for diverse purposes. The book features articles on virus replication, virus-host biology, viral pathogenesis, immunity to viruses, virus structure, and virus evolution and ecology.