Introduction to Virology HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER draft

Abstract

Have you ever had the flu or been sick and not prescribed antibiotics? This is due to the fact that these diseases are caused by viruses. Virus blur the line between what is truly alive and what is merely a complex chemical. Virus are all around us, In the soil beneath our feet, the air we breathe, and even the water we drink. Virus have existed since the beginning of primordial organisms and play a key role in the complex but delicate balancing act required to maintain a wholistic homeostasis in the environment and even in our bodies. Influenza, Herpes, Hepatitis, AIDS, and Ebola are all communicable viral infections that impact modern society and that you might have heard from in the medial. Just as they play a key role in the environment some can be beneficial to humans while many that we know can be annoying to life threatening. Unlike any other living thing on this earth viruses cannot solely produce offspring through their species, they require a host cell and host mechanisms to produce offspring. Through this short chapter you will learn more about virus morphology, modes of infection, role in society, and even the future of viral treatments.