How are viruses helpful?

Answer 1

While humans may not like to get "sick", part of natural selection and the life cycle include disease. Pneumonia has been termed "The Old Man's Friend", aiding with the end of life. The same would be true with the animal kingdom.

Over the last century, a number of vaccines have been developed using mutated viruses, or similar viruses to highly dangerous viruses. For example, the cowpox virus provided immunity for smallpox, and was instrumental in the eradication of that deadly disease.

In recent times, viruses have been used as transport mechanisms to introduce genes into cells, and will likely be central in a new field of gene therapy.

Answer 2

A virus can help its host by destroying a bacterium, fungi, or other foreign body that harms the host leaving the host itself unscathed. This creates a symbiotic relationship between the host and the virus. This may sound improbable, but viruses normally can only target one species and then only one type of cell of that particular species, allowing for this.

In fact, the use of viruses to combat bacteria was attempted in a toothpaste a number of years ago, but was unsuccessful mainly because the manufacturers failed to convince enough people that viruses could actually be good for them.

Answer 3

They can be used in genetic modification as a vector to insert gene into the genome of a target cell.

This has happened naturally in a few occasions, hence why much of human DNA is derived from viruses (retroviral DNA).

Answer 4

there is no actual health or economical benefits we have from virus. But they are a great tool on understanding many molecular concepts on research. Attenuated or inactivated viruses serve to make vaccine against a particular disease. Viral enzymes can be useful for large scale production and sale in research sector.

Answer 5

Viruses can be helpful in various ways such as being used in gene therapy to deliver therapeutic genes, in biotechnology for genetic engineering, and in environmental research for studying microbial ecosystems. They also play a role in regulating the populations of other organisms in ecosystems, maintaining biodiversity.

Answer 6

Viruses be used to fight off bacterial infections in humans.

Answer 7

Some viruses target bacteria or fungi, which can be harmful to humans. These viruses are called "bacteriophages" or sometimes just "phages".