4 ms·

Could you expand on the statement: > virtually every human over a year old or so is "infected" with at least a handful of viruses for life That sounds like a

Could you expand on the statement: > virtually every human over a year old or so is "infected" with at least a handful of viruses for life That sounds like a very interesting concept, and it's one that I haven't heard of before. If you don't want to write yourself, linking me to some reputable sources would be awesome too.

durkie 7y ago
Not entirely sure what GP is talking about, but just off the top of my head, this is the situation for anyone who's ever had chickenpox: you get chickenpox, the sores appear and then go away, but the virus stays in you. If you become immunocompromised/stressed later on in life it can re-emerge as shingles (decades later even).
DoingIsLearning 7y ago
I simple example of this is chicken pox (Varicella Zoster). A large proportion of adults have had it as kids. The immune system fights it off but virus particles can still 'hide' from it and lay dormant inside pheripheral nerve tissue. A proof of this is 'shingles' in adults. i.e. a virus which probably infected the host +50 years ago and went dormant in their nerves finds the host immune system weak enough to come out again and start replicating.
lioeters 7y ago
I wonder if that statement was talking about endogenous viruses: > Approximately 8% of the human genome is made up of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which are viral gene sequences that have become a permanent part of the human lineage after they infected our ancient ancestors. > ..their expression has been implicated in diseases like autoimmune disorders and breast cancer. > they can also be extremely useful for human survival. For example, they play a very important role as an interface between a pregnant mother and her fetus by regulating placental development and function. > It has been suggested that viruses are not only necessary for the existence of placental mammals, but also for the existence of life in general. The above is from a Medium article by a non-specialist: https://medium.com/medical-myths-and-models/the-human-genome-is-full-of-viruses-c18ba52ac195 https://medium.com/medical-myths-and-models/the-human-genome... --- It cites a paper presenting a "virus-first" perspective on the evolution of life: Viruses and the placenta: the essential virus first view - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apm.12485 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apm.12485 > viruses were involved in most all major transitions of host biology in evolution I'm learning as I read it, but quoting some passages that seem relevant: > viruses are fully competent agents and editors of all host systems of instruction (DNA, RNA, epigenetic, translational etc.). Thus, they provide the host with new sources of instruction systems (not errors). > In addition, they promote network formation by providing coherent societies (quasispecies populations) of agents able to edit host code content (and add new identity) in a diffuse, distributed manner, which promotes the creation of and editing of host regulatory networks. > Thus, a viral role in the origin of the placental regulatory network can be expected. Viruses possess all the advantages of evolution relative to host: extreme genetic adaptability, extreme diversity, extreme numbers, extreme rates of genetic exchange, tolerance for ‘unfit’ variation, and the ability to reassemble from cryptic or ‘dead’ parts. They can transition between the chemical and living world. > ..most initial genetic and selective events that transform host regulatory complexity are usually ‘pushed’ by virus action in a general direction of increasing complexity. > Hence, we must always consider how any virus action on host will affect virus–host survival in their respective virosphere or virus habitat (e.g., reproductive tissue). > A most significant development would be the emergence of a stable persistent relationship between virus and host as this represents a virus–host symbiosis that now protects the host form the same and often other lytic (disease causing) viruses.
globular-toast 7y ago
I'm thinking about viruses like herpes. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a well-known example.
ceejayoz 7y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus perhaps?

durkie 7y ago

Not entirely sure what GP is talking about, but just off the top of my head, this is the situation for anyone who's ever had chickenpox: you get chickenpox, the sores appear and then go away, but the virus stays in you. If you become immunocompromised/stressed later on in life it can re-emerge as shingles (decades later even).

DoingIsLearning 7y ago

I simple example of this is chicken pox (Varicella Zoster). A large proportion of adults have had it as kids. The immune system fights it off but virus particles can still 'hide' from it and lay dormant inside pheripheral nerve tissue. A proof of this is 'shingles' in adults. i.e. a virus which probably infected the host +50 years ago and went dormant in their nerves finds the host immune system weak enough to come out again and start replicating.

lioeters 7y ago

I wonder if that statement was talking about endogenous viruses: > Approximately 8% of the human genome is made up of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which are viral gene sequences that have become a permanent part of the human lineage after they infected our ancient ancestors. > ..their expression has been implicated in diseases like autoimmune disorders and breast cancer. > they can also be extremely useful for human survival. For example, they play a very important role as an interface between a pregnant mother and her fetus by regulating placental development and function. > It has been suggested that viruses are not only necessary for the existence of placental mammals, but also for the existence of life in general. The above is from a Medium article by a non-specialist: https://medium.com/medical-myths-and-models/the-human-genome-is-full-of-viruses-c18ba52ac195 https://medium.com/medical-myths-and-models/the-human-genome... --- It cites a paper presenting a "virus-first" perspective on the evolution of life: Viruses and the placenta: the essential virus first view - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apm.12485 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apm.12485 > viruses were involved in most all major transitions of host biology in evolution I'm learning as I read it, but quoting some passages that seem relevant: > viruses are fully competent agents and editors of all host systems of instruction (DNA, RNA, epigenetic, translational etc.). Thus, they provide the host with new sources of instruction systems (not errors). > In addition, they promote network formation by providing coherent societies (quasispecies populations) of agents able to edit host code content (and add new identity) in a diffuse, distributed manner, which promotes the creation of and editing of host regulatory networks. > Thus, a viral role in the origin of the placental regulatory network can be expected. Viruses possess all the advantages of evolution relative to host: extreme genetic adaptability, extreme diversity, extreme numbers, extreme rates of genetic exchange, tolerance for ‘unfit’ variation, and the ability to reassemble from cryptic or ‘dead’ parts. They can transition between the chemical and living world. > ..most initial genetic and selective events that transform host regulatory complexity are usually ‘pushed’ by virus action in a general direction of increasing complexity. > Hence, we must always consider how any virus action on host will affect virus–host survival in their respective virosphere or virus habitat (e.g., reproductive tissue). > A most significant development would be the emergence of a stable persistent relationship between virus and host as this represents a virus–host symbiosis that now protects the host form the same and often other lytic (disease causing) viruses.

globular-toast 7y ago

I'm thinking about viruses like herpes. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a well-known example.

ceejayoz 7y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus perhaps?