Virology & Mycology
Open Access

Viral Diseases

A viral disease (or viral infection, or infectious disease) occurs when an organism's body is invaded by pathogenic viruses, and infectious virus particles attach to and enter susceptible cells. As a general rule, DNA viruses replicate within the nucleus while RNA viruses replicate within the cytoplasm. Exceptions are known to this rule: poxviruses replicate within the cytoplasm and orthomyxoviruses and hepatitis D virus (RNA viruses) replicate within the nucleus.