Viral Pathogenesis

Viral pathogenesis is the study of the process and mechanisms by which viruses cause diseases in their target hosts, often at the cellular or molecular level. It is a specialized field of study in virology. Pathogenesis is a qualitative description of the process by which an initial infection causes disease. Viral disease is the sum of the effects of viral replication on the host and the host's subsequent immune response against the virus. Viruses are able to initiate infection, disperse throughout the body, and replicate due to specific virulence factors.