Medical and Economic Significance of Viruses (Leaving Cert Biology): Revision Notes
📚 Revision Notes
Medical and Economic Significance of Viruses
Harmful Effects of Viruses
- Human Diseases:
- Viruses cause illnesses such as the flu, cold, measles, mumps, and AIDS.
- These diseases cause medical problems and economic losses due to healthcare costs and time lost at work.
- Plant Diseases:
- Tobacco mosaic disease, potato mosaic disease.
- Animal Diseases:
- Foot and mouth disease in cattle, rabies in dogs.
Benefits of Viruses
- Genetic Engineering: Viruses (used as vectors) can transfer genes from one organism to another.
- Restriction Enzymes: Viruses provide restriction enzymes that are used to cut DNA strands in genetic engineering.
- Bacteriophages are used to control some bacterial infections.