4 ms·

Its know that most viruses trend towards increased transmissibility and decreased lethality. Killing your host is an awful strategy for continued existence if

by erhk 5y ago

Its know that most viruses trend towards increased transmissibility and decreased lethality. Killing your host is an awful strategy for continued existence if you don't have your own lipid bilayer.

gls2ro 5y ago
I am not a virologist but it sounds to me that this is an observation and not a law/axiom. The virus does not decide a strategy, it is random mutation and selection and even if it is less likely it might be that we could have a variant that is super transmissible and super deadly. This effect could be obtain in the delay between transmission and visible effects on human body. Example: virus is transmissible with N days before we can see signs of infection. Of course we can fight back by testing everyone weekly even if they show no signs.
- erhk 5y ago
  Mutations which improve transmission and longetivity will, in general, become more prevalent. Proliferation begets proliferation. You cannot transmit a strain if you are at home in bed from its severity. Help me understand how a virus can replicate without being detected but can also increase its lethality. We already have an asymptomatic and infectious incubation period. If that kept stretching longer then you are delaying the lytic cycle even longer? Or does propogation and ultimately viral load also happen as a slower burn? Eventually you will have damaged too many cells.
  - gls2ro 5y ago
    I said “visible effects” which is different than detecting a virus in human body. That mean pre-symptomatic transmission. I am not up to date with latest research but it seemed to be that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that can be transmitted before symptoms onset. Regarding replication without being detected but also increased lethality this you might be right that doing the math maybe the hypothesis I present seems far fetched. Still I guess that a slight bump in mortality will create a lot of deaths due to its transmission. Of course like I said I am just expressing an opinion that might be very wrong.
somewhereoutth 5y ago
This is false. No virus has ever done this.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

by erhk 5y ago

Its know that most viruses trend towards increased transmissibility and decreased lethality. Killing your host is an awful strategy for continued existence if you don't have your own lipid bilayer.

gls2ro 5y ago

I am not a virologist but it sounds to me that this is an observation and not a law/axiom. The virus does not decide a strategy, it is random mutation and selection and even if it is less likely it might be that we could have a variant that is super transmissible and super deadly. This effect could be obtain in the delay between transmission and visible effects on human body. Example: virus is transmissible with N days before we can see signs of infection. Of course we can fight back by testing everyone weekly even if they show no signs.

erhk 5y ago
Mutations which improve transmission and longetivity will, in general, become more prevalent. Proliferation begets proliferation. You cannot transmit a strain if you are at home in bed from its severity. Help me understand how a virus can replicate without being detected but can also increase its lethality. We already have an asymptomatic and infectious incubation period. If that kept stretching longer then you are delaying the lytic cycle even longer? Or does propogation and ultimately viral load also happen as a slower burn? Eventually you will have damaged too many cells.
- gls2ro 5y ago
  I said “visible effects” which is different than detecting a virus in human body. That mean pre-symptomatic transmission. I am not up to date with latest research but it seemed to be that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that can be transmitted before symptoms onset. Regarding replication without being detected but also increased lethality this you might be right that doing the math maybe the hypothesis I present seems far fetched. Still I guess that a slight bump in mortality will create a lot of deaths due to its transmission. Of course like I said I am just expressing an opinion that might be very wrong.

somewhereoutth 5y ago

This is false. No virus has ever done this.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]