Expert: Florence M Rollwagen - 4/15/2009

Question
My question is somewhat unusual- but I'm curious.  I'm currently studying viruses and I was wondering what would happen in a cell if it was simultaneously infected with poliovirus and the influenza virus?  Also, what would occur if T4 and T7 were simultaneously infected into a cell?

Answer
Hi Jasmine:  Thanks for your question.  Sorry I was so long in answering it, I have a bad cold.

Yes, it is certainly possible to have a cell infected simultaneously with two different viruses.  I couldn't find anything on polio and influenza coinfection, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.  Also for T4 and T7.  

With the phages, it's a more complex problem.  Since they inject only their DNA, not the entire virus (as eukaryotic viruses do), it's possible for the phage to take up pieces of DNA from other phages, the host DNA, etc and incorporate them.  This is called transduction.

You'll get a lot more information by searching Google for "viral coinfection"


Hope this helps, write back if you have more questions.

Again, sorry for the delay.

FM Rollwagen, PhD