Basic Principles of Virology

Virology, branch of microbiology that deals with the study of viruses. Virology is a fascinating and rapidly developing subject, and is worthy of study purely because viruses are interesting. There is a continuant need for trained virologists, and it is hoped that his book will play a small role to fulfill this need. Virology is the study of viruses and virus like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy. Virology is often considered a part of microbiology or of pathology. In general, viruses contain only one type of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) that carries the information necessary for viral replication. Nevertheless, it is clear now that some viruses contain other nucleic acid molecules; for example, in retroviruses, cellular transfer RNAs are essential for the action of the enzyme reverse transcriptase. The chemical composition of viruses varies between different virus families. For the simplest of viruses, the virion is composed of viral structural proteins and nucleic acid, but the situation becomes more complex with the enveloped viruses. Virology is the study of viruses and their role in disease. The science includes human, animal, insect, plant, fungal, and bacterial virology. Researchers may work in clinical, ecological, biological, or biochemical fields. This book provides the entire basic information required for the beginner of virology.