Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by idunnoman1222 658 days ago
Once a (DNA) virus incorporates itself inside your DNA and that cell divides you are never getting rid of the virus
1 comments

Wait, is that how viruses work? Is a parent guaranteed to pass on viral illness to their children (genetically) then?
Only some viruses work this way, HIV is an example. This is a good article on endogenous retroviruses [1], that is viruses that work by integrating themselves into host DNA (a retrovirus) and made it into germline cells (eggs and sperm, the endogenous part).

[1] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230519-the-viruses-that...

And to clarify for those reading this, HIV is not passed from mom to baby via inhereted genome, but as a blood borne illness in pregnancy, during birth, or in breastmilk.
The cells infected by these viruses don't form the sperm and eggs, so no. But a great portion of our genomes is thought to come from old viruses (which actually may be used immunologically!)

https://www.science.org/content/article/viral-fossils-our-dn...

Only if it’s in your balls