Good virus? (bio variety)

[Awimoway]

Is there such a thing as a good virus? I'm just theorizing about why both my wife and I have experienced a significant loss of appetite this week for no apparent reason. I'm just not hungry. My wife and I are both a little on the overweight side and we do terribly at dieting because our appetites typically tend to be so strong. So I'm thoroughly puzzled as to why both her appetite and mine suddenly went south this week. I couldn't care less about food. A small yogurt is about as much as I want to eat for a meal. It's weird. I'm not feeling any other adverse health effects, and neither is my wife. Could something in the water be doing it? Are there good viruses? I just can't imagine why this is happening. I'm not complaining, of course, but I am puzzled.

[carbonmotion]

Yes, the phage viruse eats bacterias which are harmful to humans, but does nothing to humans!!! some viruses also infect bacterial cells and change their DNA to produce microchip conponents.... yay!

Originally Posted by Awimoway

Is there such a thing as a good virus? I'm just theorizing about why both my wife and I have experienced a significant loss of appetite this week for no apparent reason. I'm just not hungry. My wife and I are both a little on the overweight side and we do terribly at dieting because our appetites typically tend to be so strong. So I'm thoroughly puzzled as to why both her appetite and mine suddenly went south this week. I couldn't care less about food. A small yogurt is about as much as I want to eat for a meal. It's weird. I'm not feeling any other adverse health effects, and neither is my wife. Could something in the water be doing it? Are there good viruses? I just can't imagine why this is happening. I'm not complaining, of course, but I am puzzled.

[tpjunkie]

Viruses have become quite useful in genetic engineering, allowing researchers to insert and remove genetic material from eukaryotic cells much easier (and with a higher degree of success) than ever before.

[Doctor Q]

It seems odd to have a virus whose only symptom is loss of appetite. Having no appetite for a day or two is not a problem (yes, a painless way to diet), but when it goes on for a week I suggest eating at least a small balanced diet, even if you aren't very hungry. And don't forget fluids every day.

[themadchemist]

Originally Posted by tpjunkie

Viruses have become quite useful in genetic engineering, allowing researchers to insert and remove genetic material from eukaryotic cells much easier (and with a higher degree of success) than ever before.

lambda phage--hooray!

edit: the only thing I see here, though, is that by definition of its mechanism of action, a virus has to do harm to some cell. That's how it replicates. However, doing harm to an organism that competes with humans might translate into positive, non-harmful, effects for people. It's still hurting SOMETHING, though, to get there. I guess it would also be possible for a phage to exploit a certain type of cell in humans whose activities actually have some negative human effect and that just happen to be now-obsolete cogs in our machinery. I don't know enough to say if this is true or even possible...But it does sound plausible.

[macka]

Maybe it's something as simple as your metabolism. Have you been more active lately? More busy? Seen something that turns you off from food?

Or maybe...there's simply nothing in the fridge...

It could a virus making you sick, thus making you lose your appetite...maybe you should go to a doctor and check things out.

[rainman::|:|]

Yes and no. I don't think this is virus related. But, to answer your question, there are indeed good viruses... of course, the natural purpose of viruses is to propagate, and usually they get in a big fight with the immune system before leaving, the immune system taking a number of anti-virus steps (raising body temperate, decreasing appetite, hives, any number of virus symptoms are caused by the immune system). Some viruses are able to come and go without the immune system paying attention, meaning we are simply carriers for the virus, not hosts. In a recent case, it was demonstrated that a virus caused changes in the host that prevented a later disease, i don't remember the details. That would constitute a good disease, not by natural design but by fluke.

paul

[oldschool]

maybe its psychological?

there are not really good viruses, but there are latent viruses, viruses that are just present, they don't have any adverse effects.

[kettle]

Originally Posted by paulwhannel

usually they get in a big fight with the immune system before leaving, the immune system taking a number of anti-virus steps (raising body temperate, decreasing appetite, hives, any number of virus symptoms are caused by the immune system). Some viruses are able to come and go without the immune system paying attention, meaning we are simply carriers for the virus, not hosts.

I was thinking, how do we know if a virus has left, wouldn't we experience an "uprising" if our bodies became tied or run down?

[mgargan1]

the question is, do you think viruses are forms of life? or are they just pieces of DNA... Stephen Hawking seems to think that they're forms of life.