Abstract
Viruses have deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) as their genome, which already makes them different from any other pathogenic agent or microorganism. Knowing all or part of its genome generally makes it possible to establish faster, more effective, simpler and lower-cost diagnostic methods. Virology is a discipline in constant change or at least surprises, represented by the appearance of new strains or variants that can wreak some havoc on animal species, including us. Studying animal viruses is studying viruses that emerge in humans, since viruses are viruses and knowing part of their genome today allows us to establish the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) protocols for their detection, as two Nobel Prize winners would say.
Highlights
Viruses are viruses (André Lwoff, 1965), in our opinion the best definition of virus and at the Nobel Prize level
Studying animal viruses is studying viruses that emerge in humans, since viruses are viruses and knowing part of their genome today allows us to establish the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) protocols for their detection, as two Nobel Prize winners would say
Mr Lwoff wanted to highlight the way in which viruses generate progeny, something not shared with any other known pathogen, different from microorganisms that follow the binary fission model: two originate from one bacterium; from two originate four; from four, eight originate and so on
Summary
Viruses are viruses (André Lwoff, 1965), in our opinion the best definition of virus and at the Nobel Prize level. The entry of a virus (virion: infecting particle, complete) is enough to generate new viruses that are released from the host cell. To perform this technique, in addition to the DNA of the suspicious sample, it is required to mix in a test tube, the nucleotides (A, T, G, C), a thermostable enzyme: Taq Polymerase, a highly important cofactor: Mg+2 and a pair of pathogen-specific primers. Other known variants of conventional PCR are the nested version (involving performing two consecutive PCRs in series) and the multiplex version (involving the use of two or more primer pairs in a single PCR reaction) This technique makes it possible to detect any pathogen with a known genome, as long as specific primers are available, complementary to a part of that genome
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