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Related Concept Videos

Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

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Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
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Infection01:20

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When a pathogen enters the body and reproduces, it can cause an infection, damage body cells, and cause illness symptoms that eventually lead to disease. Therefore, its prevention requires breaking the chain of infection.
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Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens01:29

Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens

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The immune system's response to viral infections is a complex and coordinated process involving natural killer (NK) cells, T cell-mediated responses, and antibody-mediated responses.
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Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...
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Size and Structure of Viral Genomes01:26

Size and Structure of Viral Genomes

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Viral genomes exhibit remarkable diversity in size, structure, and composition, influencing their replication strategies and interactions with host cells. These genomes consist of either DNA or RNA and may be linear or circular. Additionally, they can be single-stranded or double-stranded, with each configuration affecting how the virus propagates within a host. RNA viruses, for instance, generally have smaller genomes than DNA viruses, a factor that contributes to their high mutation rates and...
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Viral Structure00:56

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Viruses are extraordinarily diverse in shape and size, but they all have several structural features in common. All viruses have a core that contains a DNA- or RNA-based genome. The core is surrounded by a protective coat of proteins called the capsid. The capsid is composed of subunits called capsomeres. The capsid and genome-containing core are together known as the nucleocapsid.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Protocols for Investigating the Host-tissue Distribution, Transmission-mode, and Effect on the Host Fitness of a Densovirus in the Cotton Bollworm
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Protocols for Investigating the Host-tissue Distribution, Transmission-mode, and Effect on the Host Fitness of a Densovirus in the Cotton Bollworm

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Expanding host specificity and pathogen sharing beyond viruses.

Daniel J Becker1, Gregory F Albery2

  • 1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.

Molecular Ecology
|August 18, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Most viruses and bacteria are specialists, but viruses are more often generalists. Bacteria pose greater spillover risks to humans across host orders than viruses.

Keywords:
cross-species transmissiondisease ecologyhost rangeinfectious diseasephylogeographyzoonosis

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Area of Science:

  • Comparative genomics
  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • Most emerging human pathogens infect multiple host species.
  • Previous research on pathogen sharing and zoonotic potential primarily focused on viruses.
  • Understanding host range variation across different pathogen groups is crucial.

Discussion:

  • Shaw et al. compiled a comprehensive dataset of host-pathogen associations for viruses and bacteria.
  • They investigated whether patterns observed in viral host specificity apply to bacteria.
  • This study expands the understanding of host specificity beyond viruses.

Key Insights:

  • Both viruses and bacteria are predominantly specialists, with viruses being more likely generalists.
  • Generalist bacteria span multiple host orders, while viral sharing is more confined within orders.
  • Host phylogenetic similarity is a key driver of cross-species pathogen transmission.

Outlook:

  • Bacteria exhibit more frequent and less phylogenetically constrained pathogen sharing with humans compared to viruses.
  • This suggests a potentially higher risk of zoonotic spillover from bacteria across diverse host orders.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate bacterial spillover dynamics.