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Berlin. They are everywhere where there is life. Viruses are the most primitive organisms on our planet – if you count them as living beings at all. Many cause serious illnesses and sometimes endanger entire societies. We have only known of their existence for a good 100 years. The word virus is of Latin origin and means “slime” or “poison”.
Viruses have no metabolism
It is fundamentally controversial among researchers whether viruses are living organisms at all or just infectious structures. In contrast to bacteria and other microorganisms, they have no metabolism. Most viruses are much smaller than bacteria – some are only several nanometers (millionths of a millimeter) long. They often consist only of a protein shell and the genetic material packed in it, which contains the genetic information for its construction.
To reproduce, the virus infiltrates its genome into cells of living organisms and uses their tools to produce new viruses. Because viruses have so few of their own points of attack, it is also harder than bacteria to fight them with medication.
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Viruses adhere to dust and salt
Viruses are extremely common on Earth, even outside of living things: to quantify their occurrence in the sea alone, microbiologists cited a number with more than 30 zeros. Bound to dust or salt particles from the ocean, billions of them enter the earth’s atmosphere, trickle down from there with precipitation, and are distributed across the planet, as Canadian researchers reported.
Viruses trigger pandemics
Whether rabies, hepatitis, measles or AIDS – viruses are the trigger for many diseases. Their high versatility is problematic. According to the Max Planck Society, a virus can change its properties drastically “in a single step” and trigger a pandemic. The human immune system can sometimes do little. Between 1918 and 1920, an estimated 20 million people fell victim to the Spanish flu.
Often you become immune after an infection
Vaccinations prevent some viruses, such as measles. In the case of the flu, the vaccines have to be adapted again and again to the variants that are likely to circulate later. Many viruses remain infectious for a long time even outside of human, animal or plant cells. After all, once an infection has survived, we usually develop a so-called immune memory, which at least temporarily prevents renewed infection with the same pathogen.
Chronology of the corona virus
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The beginning of the devastating corona virus was probably an animal market in Wuhan / China. The virus reached Europe in just a few weeks. © RND
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Viruses can also be useful
Not all viruses are harmful: For example, the food industry uses so-called phages against bacteria in food. In various gene therapies, viruses are used as transport vehicles to inject intact genetic material into cells.
RND / dpa
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