Virus latency
Virus latency
Virus latency (pronunciation: /ˈvaɪrəs ˈleɪtənsi/) is a stage in the life cycle of certain viruses, particularly herpesviruses, during which the virus lies dormant within the host's cells, but is capable of reactivating and causing disease.
Etymology
The term "virus latency" is derived from the Latin virus, meaning "poison" or "slime", and latens, meaning "lying hidden".
Definition
Virus latency is defined as the ability of a pathogenic virus to lie dormant within a cell, denoted as the latent phase of the virus life cycle. Latent viruses may cause latent infections that can be reactivated under certain conditions.
Related Terms
- Herpesviruses: A family of DNA viruses that cause diseases in humans and animals.
- Latent phase: The period during which a virus is dormant within a cell.
- Latent infection: An infection in which the infectious agent is present but not causing symptoms.
- Reactivation (virology): The process by which a latent virus switches to a lytic phase of replication.
See also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Virus latency
- Wikipedia's article - Virus latency
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski