Bacteria, Viruses, and ProtistsVirus Basics |
Which animal viruses are DNA viruses and which are RNA viruses? |
DNA and RNA viruses in animals (yes, humans included) have several differences. The following lists some of the more familiar diseases caused by these two types of viruses:
Type of Virus |
Examples |
Adenoviruses |
Approximately forty types of viruses infecting human respiratory and intestinal tracts, causing sore throats, tonsillitis, and conjunctivitis |
Herpesviruses |
Herpes simplex type 1 (cold sores), herpes simplex type 2 (genital herpes), varicella-zoster (causing chicken pox and shingles) |
Papovaviruses |
Human warts, degenerative brain diseases, polyomas (tumors) |
Parvoviruses |
Infections in dogs, swine, arthropods, and rodents; causes gastroenteritis in humans after eating infected shellfish |
Poxviruses |
Smallpox, cowpox |
Type of Virus |
Examples |
Paramyxoviruses |
Rubeola (measles), mumps, distemper (in dogs) |
Orthomyxoviruses |
Influenza in humans and other animals |
Picornaviruses |
Polioviruses, Hepatitis A, human colds; coxsackievirus and echovirus cause aseptic meningitis; enteroviruses infect the intestine; rhinoviruses infect the respiratory tract |
Reoviruses |
Vomiting and diarrhea |
Retroviruses |
AIDS, some types of cancer |
Rhabdoviruses |
Rabies |
Togaviruses |
Rubella, yellow fever, encephalitis |