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Virology
The study of viruses and their terminologies
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Virus | A virus is a microscopic, infectious cellular invader. Viruses insert themselves into living cells where they replicate. They can infect most life forms: from bacteria to plants to animals. |
| Bacteriophage | a virus that specializes in infecting bacteria. Most viruses are bacteriophages. These particular types of viruses are made of proteins that infect the bacterial cell, then they enclose the DNA or RNA genome within the cell. |
| Animal virus | Affects only animals; each evolved to infect different forms. For non-human animals, the field is known as "veterinary virology," while "medical virology" is the study of viruses and human beings. |
| Capsid | The protein shell of a virus that helps it enter its target cell is called a capsid. It protects the gene material of the virus. Structures of capsids vary widely and may consist of numerous proteins. |
| Viral envelope | These are lipid membranes the virus builds around itself, with lipid material of the cell's inner membrane. Viral envelopes are thought to help the virus infect the target cell. Lipids are the cell's fatty acids and are not water soluble. |
| Endocytosis | Endocytosis is the term for when a virus enters its target cell. |
| Viral latency | Viral latency refers to the time that viral genetic material can remain in the cell before being reactivated. |
| Zoonosis | Zoonosis is when an infectious disease is transmitted from other vertebrate animals to humans. |
| R0 (reproductive rate) | The "basic reproduction number" is also known as R0 ("R-nought"), a measure that describes how easily a virus spreads. Specifically, R0 is an estimate of how many other people get infected by one infected person. |
| Epidemic | An epidemic is defined by Merriam Webster's dictionary as "an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many individuals at the same time." |
| Pandemic | A pandemic results from an epidemic that has grown past geographic boundaries. |
| Vaccine | Vaccines prevent disease. A vaccine contains the same germ that makes people sick, but it is rendered harmless: Either it's killed or weakened to the point it does not cause illness. |
| Herd immunity | Herd immunity happens to a population that has been exposed to an infectious agent and, as a result, becomes immune. |
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