Virology 101, Suzanne D. Vernon, PhD

By Angela Linford | March 5, 2020

My first virology class was taught by Howard Tenim, PhD, a virologist and 1975 Nobel laureate for the discovery of reverse transcriptase – the enzyme used by retroviruses to turn RNA into DNA. I got hooked and have been fortunate to spend the past 35 years learning and studying how viruses do and don’t make us sick.


Here are a couple of essential virology basics from Dr. Tenim’s class.

• There are a lot of viruses!
• We are mostly microbes. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa live in and on our body that far outnumber our human cells. When in balance, our microbial selves are essential for our health and well-being.

• Often, viruses do not make us sick.
• Most virus infections don’t cause any symptoms because our body responds quickly to neutralize the virus.

COVID-19 is a coronavirus – a large family of viruses that cause a range of respiratory infections. While the epidemiology of the virus continues to unfold, it appears that COVID-19 is following Virology 101 rules with most infections not causing disease.

Sometimes viruses do make us sick.

• You can get sick if you are exposed to a large amount of the virus. There is a lot packed into a single droplet, so just imagine the dose of virus in a sneeze!
• People can get sick when viruses jump from animals to humans.
• Underlying health conditions may make people more susceptible to disease from virus infections and at increased risk of severe infection if exposed to COVID-19
• Genetic vulnerability can make people more susceptible to disease from virus infections.
• Seniors seem to be ant at risk population for severe infection.

COVID-19 is a coronavirus – a large family of viruses that cause a range of respiratory infections. While the epidemiology of the virus continues to unfold, it appears that COVID-19 is following Virology 101 rules with most infections not causing disease.  

But we all know that underlying chronic illness don’t play by the rules and the immune dysfunction 

If you do feel sick with a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, contact your healthcare provider who will work with your state’s public health department.

I also recommend watching this video of Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Ian Lipkin further explain how coronavirus spreads.