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Are there any virions found during the latent period?

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Final answer:

During the latent period, some viruses can exist in a dormant state without producing new virions. Examples include herpes simplex viruses (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). These viruses can remain hidden in the body for extended periods of time and reactivate later on.

Step-by-step explanation:

During the latent period, some viruses can exist in a dormant state without producing new virions. These viruses are known as latent viruses, and they may cause latent infections. Examples of latent viruses include herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). These viruses can remain hidden in the body for extended periods of time without causing symptoms, only to reactivate and cause symptoms later on.

For instance, VZV can cause chickenpox during the acute infection, and then go into latency. It can later reactivate, causing shingles in adulthood. Similar to VZV, HSV-1 and HSV-2 can establish latency in nerve cells and reactivate periodically, leading to outbreaks of herpes. EBV can establish latency in B cells of the immune system and potentially epithelial cells, and it can reactivate to produce B-cell lymphoma.

User Nilo Alan
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