Microbiology & Virology

Microbiology is the area of biology focusing on the study of microorganisms. Although viruses are not living organisms, Virology, the study of viruses, is a considered part of microbiology.

One of the main focuses in virology is the study of viral infectious diseases including: rhinoviruses (common cold), influenza (flu), Herpes (simplex, zoster and varicella-zoster), AIDS (autoimmune deficiency virus), Human Papillomavirus (HPV), rabies and measles.

Some viruses, known as oncoviruses, are known to be cancer causing. The most widely studied example is the link between HPV, a sexually transmitted virus, and cervical cancer.

There are more then 150 strains of HPV, over 40 of which are sexually transmitted. Certain types of “high-risk” sexually transmitted HPV viruses can lead to cell mutations and cause cervical cancer as well as cancer of the vagina, vulva, penis and anus. Research shows that these high-risk HPV viruses cause over 99% of cervical cancers.

According to the National Cancer Institute, it is estimated that in 2010 about 12,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 4000 would die from it.

Although there are no treatments available for HPV, the FDA approved Cervarix and Gardisil, vaccines used to protect against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer.