ABSTRACT
Viruses are small acellular infectious agents that can only replicate within cells. The virus genome codes for viral proteins, which usually fall into two categories: structural proteins; and non-structural proteins. There are as many life cycles as there are viruses, but there are some shared or common aspects. Antigen detection involves the use of specific tagged antibodies to detect specific viral proteins in clinical samples. Respiratory viruses are the most common cause of illness in humans, and cause around 30% of child deaths in the developing world. In viral acute otitis media (AOM), rhinovirus (HRV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are most commonly detected and adenovirus, coronavirus and parainfluenxa (PIV) are found less frequently. Many viruses, including those that cause the common cold, have been implicated in sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Antivirals are a large class of drugs used to treat or prevent viral infections.
