Corona-virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new disease, caused by a novel (or new) corona-virus that has not previously been seen in humans. This virus can be a product of dark biotechnology?

Why is it virtually impossible to eradicate (eliminate) a disease caused by a zoonotic virus? Why are RNA viruses and retroviruses more error-prone in their replication than DNA viruses? What effect might this have on the human population?

A patient is asked to participate in a trial using a bacteriophage to treat a Streptococcus infection. The patient is worried that she will end up with a viral infection rather than a Streptococcal infection. How would you address her concerns? – discuss the specificity of viral infections.  How do they infect host cells, is that a random process?

Coronaviridae is a virus “family.” There are actually many different coronaviruses within this group, including less pathogenic virus strains that cause the common cold. Many people in this course have likely been infected with one of these other coronaviruses. A common feature of coronaviruses and other RNA viruses (think influenza virus, HIV, etc.) is that they mutate frequently. This is because the viral enzymes that copy the genome during replication can’t fix mistakes. Given this information, how might we be able to distinguish the SARS-CoV-2 strain from some of the other, less concerning, coronavirus strains?