Varicella Zoster Research Paper

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This essay is about the Varicella Zoster Virus, as well as the diseases and characteristics of the virus. First, this will run down the basic facts of the virus, then go more into detail on its means of replication, impact, and related viruses. Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) is a member of the Herpesviridae family, subfamily: Alphaherpesvirinae, Genus: Varicellovirus. The most commonly encountered species is Human herpesvirus 3 (HHV-3); known as varicella zoster, or more commonly, chickenpox. The virion is spherical, enveloped, and is approximately 180-200 nm. Like many herpesviruses, VZV contains a protein tegument under its envelope. The spikes protruding from the envelope are 8 nm long. Its capsid is icosahedral and made up of 162 individual …show more content…
When the immune system weakens, the virions are triggered and begin their lytic cycle. They replicate in the same way they did before, and are ejected similarly as well. The disease itself is called herpes zoster (commonly referred to as shingles), as opposed to varicella zoster. For all intents and purposes, however, the two viruses are exactly the same; simply infecting two different areas at different times. As a result, the rejected virions can and will infect those without an immunity to VZV, though anybody who's had the virus before would be immune to …show more content…
Not all VZV virions will reactivate, and some triggers for one person may not be triggers for another person. As a general observation, the virus tends to reactivate in older populations, due to declining physical health. Herpes zoster is permanent however. While the ejected virions can be targeted and destroyed, the original population will remain inside the nerve cells and fall back into dormancy after some time has passed. As a result, for those who do experience reactivation, the disease will come in cycles; much like herpes simplex virus diseases such as cold sores. As the chart shows, the plurality demographic tends to be older individuals ages 70-79, though the far majority is made up of previous generations ages 40-79. The main reason may've been due to cultural precedence. They were exposed to VZV at a young age with the intent to develop immunity to the disease as soon as possible. Thus, that demographic harbored the virus for decades; until the virus reactivates. While younger populations do have some outbreaks of herpes zoster, they tend to make up a small percentage since younger people tend to have better immune systems.
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