Question

Are viruses pathogenic?

Answer 1

Pathogenicity:

1. Refers to the ability to cause disease when the microorganism infects the host organism.
2. A microbe capable of causing disease is referred to as a pathogen, whereas the infected organism is known as a host.

Characteristics of pathogens:

To be considered a successful pathogen, an organism must be able to-

1. Colonize the host
2. Avoid immune responses from the host.
3. Replicate using the host's machinery
4. Exit and spread to a new host.

Viruses:

1. Infectious agents that replicate inside a host's body.
2. They are neither living nor non-living.
3. Viruses are pathogenic because they need to hijack the cellular machinery of living cells to multiply.
4. Examples of pathogenic viruses- Coronavirus, Zika virus, HIV, etc.