Latent Infections

[rosita2006]

hi, can anyone out there tell me the name of a couple of viruses that cause latent infections? also please explain how and why theses virus do so while other types of virus can not cause latent infection.
i am trying to grasp the concept behind this Micro thingy...currently working on a course and i'm not scared to admit ..I AM A NEWBIE...
any help appreciated.........Ros.

[BioCell]

HIV's one of them.

[Dr.Stein]

Flu.

[fluktuacia]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

[MrMistery]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis ain't a virus

[MrMistery]

btw how do you define a latent infection?

[rosita2006]

Thanks alot ppl, i suppose i was looking for more for the explanation part of it.
thanks

Rosita

[Dr.Stein]

btw how do you define a latent infection?

It is when a pathogen never get out of our body at all. When we recover from a disease, actually the pathogen is still inside but stay in latent state. Next time when our immune system is decreasing, they will attack again. We call this pathogen as "opportunistics"

[fluktuacia]

hehe:) sorry .. i've missed the word virus in the question;)

[MrMistery]

thanks for the info doc. in that case i would suggest herpes as a perfect example. it remains as so called microchromosomes in the nucleus of neurons and attacks at certain outside signals.

[Priscilla]

I will guess, the chicken pox virus does that too. That's why we got shingles. right??

[Dr.Stein]

I don't think so. Chicken pox virus only attacks once and that's all. Nobody experiences chicken pox virus infection more than once.