• Question: Why is every virus cause different symptoms?

    Asked by Patricia Call to Carmen, Laura, Steph on 19 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Stephanie Dyson

      Stephanie Dyson answered on 19 Mar 2015:

      Viruses survive by getting inside peoples cells so I guess that the difference in symptoms is probably caused by where the cells are that the virus gets into and what kind of cells they are!

      Steph

    • Photo: Carmen Denman

      Carmen Denman answered on 19 Mar 2015:

      Hi!
      There are different types of bacteria the induce disease in different ways. Some viruses are enveloped, and our bodies react to the outer proteins of their envelope in different ways than we would react to a virus that goes strait for a cell invasion mechanism. Same with bacteria, they have different ‘strategies’ like, Salmonella is ingested and lodges in our gut and quickly spreads from cell to cell and causes diarrea, but tuberculosis is in our respiratory tract and lurks undetected from the immune system and evades immune response by growing really slowly and living inside immune cells.

      There is such a variety in micro organisms there is no surprise the symptoms from the disease they cause is varied as well!

      Carmen

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