Hello everyone..!!!
It has been more than 7 months since the first
case of COVID19 was reported in INDIA.
After that, we all know what happened.
The virus continued to spread from one person
to another.
Not only in India, but the whole world has
been shaken by this coronavirus.
It's just been a roller coaster ride for all
of us in the last 7 months.
And this is all because of a small virus and
when I mean small I meant really really small.
So small than our single blood cell of any
type and we need an electron microscope to
see it.
Despite being so small how a virus can create
such a catastrophe.
As an answer to that question, in this video,
I'm going to talk about how the virus spreads
in the human body
Let's jump in...
Well to know about how a virus spreads in
our body, it is key to understand the role
of DNA in our body.
This is why I'm going to give you a brief
explanation of how DNA works...
What is DNA:
The full form of DNA is "Deoxyribonucleic
acid".
It is simply a chain of molecules attached
to each other in a spiral-like shape.
This tiny molecular structure that's inside
the nucleus of a cell ends up creating the
whole living thing like humans, animals, trees...etc
But how?
Time for another term - AMINO ACIDS
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.
They get attached to each other like Lego
blocks in different ways to form proteins.
But to form into proteins they must form some
specific shapes.
This is where the DNA comes in the picture.
If we zoom in on the DNA structure, we can
see the letters on it.
These letters indicate a variety of chemicals.
But the problem with DNA is that it's so long
that it can't come out of the nucleus of the
cell.
The RNA takes charge of helping DNA.
What RNA does is copy one side of the DNA
code.
As RNA is smaller in length it can pass through
the pores of the nucleus and enters into another
particle "RIBOSOME" which is the protein-making
machine.
The ribosome scans the code in the RNA and
attaches the amino acids according to the
code.
Every three letters of the RNA code tell the
ribosome which of the 20 amino acids should
be added next.
For example, C-A-A means "GLUTAMINE", A-G-U
means "SERINE".
And the process goes on like this Amino acids
build up into Proteins.
Proteins(along with other chemicals) forms
into Cells.
Cells form into Organs.
And you know what happens after that.
Obviously, organs are combined to form into
a human body.
As a matter of fact, humans have up to 99.99
% of similar DNA and the difference is only
in the remaining 0.01%.
This mere difference occurs due to a process
called "GENETIC RECOMBINATION" which is the
topic for another day.
I hope that you got a brief idea of how our
DNA works.
let's get into the main topic i.e., VIRUS.
Usually, when the virus enters our body, the
first part of the body to which it is attached
is our cells.
Viruses are very specific to the type of cells
they attack.
They choose cells because they can not reproduce
without the help of the other organism called
HOST.
As our cells have all the features to meet
the requirements of viruses, they are chosen
to reproduce as hosts.
Like us, viruses also contain genetic material
in the form of DNA or RNA.
This genetic material is injected into the
cell when it is attached to the cells in our
body.
Unfortunately, not all cells are capable of
identifying the DNA or RNA of viruses.
There are two processes in which the replication
of a virus happens.
The 1st one is the Lytic cycle:
During this cycle, the host cell takes the
injected genetic material and begins to reproduce
more viruses.
Why?
I hope you remember that the DNA code is a
blueprint for cells to function and reproduce.
So in this case, the DNA of the virus instructs
host cells to produce more viruses.
After some time the number of viruses increases
so much and they break the cell wall of the
cell and come out resulting in the destruction
of that cell.
Then they search for another cell to be a
host to reproduce more and more.
The 2nd cycle is the Lysogenic cycle: In this
cycle, the virus enters the cell and inject
the genetic material into the cell.
But this time the virus's genetic material
secretly mixes up and alters some part of
the cell's genetic material.
Following the instructions in the altered
genetic material, the cell starts producing
more cells with the same altered genetic material.
Everything looks normal until the virus gets
triggered into the lytic cycle from the lysogenic
cycle.
Because once the virus moves from the lysogenic
cycle to the lytic cycle, all the cells with
the mixed DNA begin to reproduce the viruses
at once.
It's like an all-out attack on our immune
system, and it tends to have a strong impact.
The reason for the shift from the lysogenic
cycle to the lytic cycle is may be due to
starvation or exposure to toxic chemicals...etc
This is how viruses spread in the human body.
Not all viruses are so dangerous, though.
Take the cold, which is also caused by viruses.
Although it spreads in our body, it can be
suppressed by our immune system.
However, in the case of some deadly viruses
such as HIV, the virus directly attaches to
helper T-cells which are important components
of our immune system.
As the virus hits the main immune system officer,
our immune system begins to weaken and at
the same time lose the ability to repair itself,
making the situation more vulnerable.
Also the coronavirus, like EBOLA, INFLUENZA
VIRUS, ZIKA is also said to have its genetic
material in the form of RNA and is smaller
in size.
Which makes it capable of replicating fastly
than DNA viruses and mess up the immune system.
Now we've also made a very simple video on
how our immune system works.
Click on the I button on the top to watch
it.
Coming back to the virus, They also have the
ability to mutate, which means that they change
their genetic structure slightly.
In most cases, a drug or vaccine that is effective
for the virus may not work on a mutated form.
One factor that relieves us is that despite
being an RNA virus, coronavirus mutates slowly
than many other RNA viruses.
Ultimately, the saying PREVENTION IS THE BEST
CURE is solidified in the case of viruses.
So my friends, whenever possible, wash your
hands with soap and water.
If you are traveling, make sure you have a
hand sanitizer containing more than 70 % ethanol
or isopropanol with you and use it frequently.
And finally, put on masks.
That's all for today.
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cheers..!!!
