Viral and Prion Infections

Many human diseases are due to viruses. These agents consist of genomes of either DNA or RNA inside a protein shell. Despite this deceptive simplicity, virus infections are less well understood than bacterial diseases, largely because viruses cannot be grown alone in culture but depend on a host cell. Until recently, protection against virus diseases relied on public health measures and vaccination. Only since the late 1980s have a significant number of specific antiviral agents become available.