Poliomyelitis is a crippling disease caused by the poliovirus that can affect the entire body, including muscles and nerves (2). The first outbreak of this viral disease was reported in Europe in the early 19th century and later spread to the United States (2). At first, the viral infection commonly infected infants and children, but as years passed, the severity and the average age of the person rose (1). The number of people in the United States with poliomyelitis reached its peak of 21,000 in 1952. The poliomyelitis incidence rates rapidly decreased from the western world following the development of poliovirus vaccines (2). Even though, the virus has been eradicated from North America since 1994, it still exists in underdeveloped nations due to poor water treatment facilities and unhygienic sanitary conditions. Understanding the overall structure, pathogenesis, and virulence of the poliovirus is important in medicine and biotechnology, especially in fields of research in creating vectors for gene therapy and vaccinations.
Based on its morphology, physiochemical and biologic properties, antigenic structures, genomic sequences and mode of replication, the poliovirus is a member of the subfamily Enterovirus, family Picornavirus (2). Enteroviruses are tolerant of acidic environments and are commonly found inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract of humans (2). The poliovirus only grows naturally in humans and chimpanzees (virology) and is prevalent among warm wet climates (virology). The poliovirus rarely attacks the central nervous system; however, if the virus does invade the CNS, it will replicate in the spinal cord and cause paralysis or death. Belonging to the family Picornavirus, the polioviruses are "little RNA viruses" with an icosahedral shape that has 60 copies of structural proteins VP1-VP4 (9). These virions are non-enveloped and their size ranges from 22 to 30nm in diameter, and they lack the presence of a lipid membrane (9).
Polio follows infection with any one of three related enteroviruses: poliovirus types 1, 2, or 3. ... Transmission: Poliovirus is spread through person-to-person, fecal-oral contact. ... There is also evidence that flies can passively transfer poliovirus from faeces to food. ...
Poliomyelitis, better known as polio or infantile paralysis, is the infectious viral disease that sometimes results in paralysis. Polio was a big cause of death of children and many elderly adults in the 20th century. Over 100,000 people have been affected with polio since the 20th century, and a ne...
The discovery that infectious diseases thrived because of our lack of knowledge in the mechanics of them, which gave way to the growing interest and need in controlling such infectious diseases. The complete eradication of any current problematic disease is virtually impossible because of the many...
Are Humans Really an Endangered Species? The Yanomami tribe is located in the Amazon Basin. The Yanomami civilization has said to of have lasted before Christ. In the Amazon Basin there are many endangered species, one of these endangered species are human. Since 1950, the tribe has decreased i...
How the Polio Vaccine Caused More Harm Than Good Poliomyelitis, also called polio or "infantile paralysis," is an acute viral infection caused by the poliovirus. In the past, because of the many cases and critical results from epidemics of polio, people feared the disease since it had left many pa...
At six weeks, an inactivated poliovirus, DTaP, Haemophilus influenza type b (HIB), Pneumococcal conjugate, and Rotavirus are given with little time intervals in between. Again at six, ten and fourteen weeks old infants are injected again with the inactivated poliovirus, DTaP, HIB, Pneumococcal conjugate, and Rotavirus. ...
Poliomyelitis is defined as "an acute infectious disease caused by the poliovirus and characterized by fever, motor paralysis, and atrophy of skeletal muscles often with permanent disability and deformity and marked by inflammation of nerve cells in the anterior gray matter in each lateral half of the spinal cord -- called also infantile paralysis" (Merriam-Webster). ...
Poliomyelitis, also called polio or "infantile paralysis," is an acute viral infection caused by the poliovirus (Schulelein ##-##). In the past, because of the many cases and critical results from epidemics of polio, people feared the disease since it had left many patients paralyzed for life, and ...
Considerable evidence demonstrates that animal experimentation is inefficient, unreliable and unsafe. It is also unnecessary because newly developed methodologies are more valid and less expensive than animal studies. An increasing number of doctors and scientists agree that the methodology of today...
