| viral hepatitis | Liver inflammation caused by viruses. Specific hepatitis viruses have been labelled a, b, c, d, e, f, and g. While other viruses can also cause hepatitis, their primary target is not the liver. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| viral hepatitis type A | A virus disease with a short incubation period (usually 15 to 50 days), caused by hepatitis A virus, a member of the family Picornaviridae, often transmitted by faecal-oral route; may be inapparent, mild, severe, or occasionally fatal and occurs sporadically or in epidemics, commonly in school-age children and young adults; necrosis of periportal liver cells with lymphocytic and plasma cell infiltration is characteristic and jaundice is a common symptom. Synonym: epidemic hepatitis, hepatitis A, infectious hepatitis, MS-1 hepatitis, short incubation hepatitis, virus A hepatitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| viral hepatitis type B | A virus disease with a long incubation period (usually 50 to 160 days), caused by hepatitis B virus, a DNA virus and member of the family Hepadnoviridae, usually transmitted by injection of infected blood or blood derivatives or by use of contaminated needles, lancets, or other instruments; clinically and pathologically similar to viral hepatitis type A, but there is no cross-protective immunity; HBsAg is found in the serum and the hepatitis delta virus occurs in some patients. Synonym: hepatitis B, serum hepatitis, transfusion hepatitis, virus B hepatitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| viral hepatitis type C | Principal cause of non-A, non-B posttransfusion hepatitis caused by an RNA virus that may be related to Flaviviridae family. Synonym: hepatitis C, virus C hepatitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| viral hepatitis type D | Acute or chronic hepatitis caused by the hepatitis delta virus, a defective RNA virus requiring HBV for replication. The acute type occurs in two forms: 1) coinfection, the simultaneous occurrence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis delta virus infections, which usually is self-limiting; 2) superinfection, the appearance of hepatitis delta virus infection in a hepatitis B virus carrier, which often leads to chronic hepatitis The chronic type appears to be more severe than other types of viral hepatitis. Synonym: delta hepatitis, hepatitis D. (05 Mar 2000) |
| viral hepatitis type E | Hepatitis caused by a nonenveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus 27-34 nm in diameter, unrelated to other hepatitis; it is the principal cause of enterically transmitted, waterborne, epidemic NANB hepatitis occurring primarily in Asia and Africa. Synonym: hepatitis E. (05 Mar 2000) |
| viral hepatitis vaccines | Any vaccine raised against any virus or viral derivative that causes hepatitis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| viral infection | The successful invasion, establishment and growth of viruses in the tissues of the host. (27 Sep 1997) |
| viral interference | A phenomenon in which infection by a first virus results in resistance of cells or tissues to infection by a second, unrelated virus. (12 Dec 1998) |
| viral load | The number of viral particles (usually HIV) in a sample of blood plasma. HIV viral load is increasingly employed as a surrogate marker for disease progression. It is measured by PCR and bDNA tests and is expressed in number of HIV copies or equivalents per millilitre. (09 Oct 1997) |
| viral matrix proteins | Proteins associated with the inner surface of the lipid bilayer of the viral envelope. These proteins have been implicated in control of viral transcription and may possibly serve as the "glue" that binds the nucleocapsid to the appropriate membrane site during viral budding from the host cell. (12 Dec 1998) |
| viral meningitis | <pathology> A viral form of infection that is seen most often in those under 30 years of age. Peak time for infection is in late summer. Majority of cases are caused by the Coxsackie and echovirus. (27 Sep 1997) |
| viral myocarditis | <cardiology, virology> Inflammation of the heart muscle that is caused by an infection with a virus. Coxsackie B is most common in the U.S.A., but Coxsackie A, influenza, rubeola, rubella, Adenovirus, HIV and echovirus can all cause myocarditis. (27 Sep 1997) |
| viral nonstructural proteins | Viral proteins that are coded by nonstructural genes and usually have an unknown function. Some of these proteins may play structural roles within the infected cell during replication or act in virus regulation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| viral oncogene | <molecular biology> A viral gene that contributes to cancer development in vertebrate hosts. (09 Oct 1997) |