Medical Consequences of Persistent Viral Infection

Most of our knowledge about the medical implications of viral disease comes from studies of acute viral infections.^{1 2 3} As a result of such studies, we now understand the clinical courses and pathogenic mechanisms of acute infections, and attempts to control infection through manipulation of the immune system — i.e., vaccination — have been described. Yet the future of medical virology will probably relate far more to persistent viral infections and the diseases associated with them.^{4 5 6} Included within this group are many of the herpesviruses (herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus, varicella–zoster virus), hepatitis B virus, human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) Types…