Human body viruses.

OCCASIONAL PATHOGEN:

Human papillomaviruses can induce skin infections and cervical cancer, but many strains are commonly found on the skin of healthy people. Viral diameter approximately 55 nm.

THE HUMAN VIROME:

Diverse viruses can be found commingling with human and bacteria cells in and on people’s bodies. Scientists are just beginning to understand how these viruses help and when they can turn pathogenic.

VIRUSES IN THE GENOME:

Endogenous retroviral proteins are essential to cell fusion events that occur during the development of the mammalian placenta. A recent study also found that this same protein, called syncytin, increased myoblast cell fusion in male mice, helping them acquire muscle mass.

A better understanding of what makes certain virus pathogens, as well as the constant monitoring of human virology in health and disease, especially in the hot spots of human-animal interaction, can provide early warning signs of the disease.