# How does a virus physically grow so that it can be cut out? Aren't viri microscopic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140 "2010-11-10T04:22:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/21 "2010-11-10T20:20:51Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > But if you use the Greek plural, aren’t you also constrained to inflect it for case? Sigh. Sure. Let’s unleash more pain on the octopodes-speakers. Send them to the paradigms, let them start with the “Alpha” declension, and work their way through the Attic one. That will teach them that they are NOT classical scholars. And remind them that originally Greek had a dual case, so there would be a separate word for just two octopuses. sing. nom. ὑγίειᾰ gen. ὑγιείᾱς dat. ὑγιείᾳ acc. ὑγίειᾰν voc. ὑγίειᾰ dual n.a.v. ὑγιείᾱ g.d. ὑγιείαιν pl. n.v. ὑγίειαι gen. ὑγιειῶν dat. ὑγιείαις acc. ὑγιείᾱς More (much more) at [Socrates and Berkeley Scholars Web Hosting Services Have Been Retired | Web Platform Services](http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~ancgreek/paradigmsU/paradigms_U.html) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/22 "2010-11-10T20:26:15Z")
People who insist on “octopodes” should be gored by the horns of rhinocerotes. 😉 I was under the impression that Latin virus was 4th declension, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/23 "2010-11-10T20:30:23Z")
> [@sassyfras](#): > > Ok, let me play lil’ bo peep and move this thread back to the original subject and ask another foolish question: Why does the virus make the body create a ‘wart’? What benefit does the HPV get from this? It makes it more likely that the person will try to destroy the HPV. The viruses only “purpose” is to replicate itself. The cells that make up the wart are the tissue that the virus is replicating in. That’s it. In times past, people didn’t “get rid” of warts, other than by picking them off (which spreads the virus around). Eventually, most warts go away as the bodies immune system takes care of them (like most infections). > [@](#): > > And also, if the wart is not the HPV itself, if you get rid of a wart, does that mean the HPV is gone? Are the wart and HPV one and the same or not? What if the wart is freezed-off and killed, does that mean you are cured? You may have been cured of that particular HPV infection, but its easy to get re-infected. And many warts reappear after removal anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/24 "2010-11-10T20:54:42Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > People who insist on “octopodes” should be gored by the horns of rhinocerotes. 😉 > > I was under the impression that Latin virus was 4th declension, anyway. Gaaah! We already have lots of wrong choices to get confused about, and you’re trying to add _vīrūs_? _Apage!_ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/25 "2010-11-10T21:12:29Z")
According to my ninth-grade Latin teacher, if the Latin word “virus” had a Latin plural, it would have been “vira”, since despite the -us ending, it’s neuter. Since I find “viruses” cumbersome (with the two 's’s), that’s what I use. > [@](#): > > “Virii,” like penii and octopi, is pseudo-Latin. It’s the sort of thing that makes you look knowledgeable to the ignorant, but ignorant to the knowledgeable. “Octopi” I’m willing to cut some slack, since it results from a correct application of the rules (it’s just the wrong rule to apply). “Virii” and “penii”, though, would be the plurals of “virius” and “penius”, respectively. Really, there’s no shame in not knowing the rules of Latin plurals, but if you don’t, then just use the English plurals; don’t mangle the rules that you don’t understand. It just makes you look pretentious _and_ uneducated, a terrible combination. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/26 "2010-11-10T21:13:50Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > You may have been cured of that particular HPV infection, but its easy to get re-infected. And many warts reappear after removal anyway. If the wart reappears, then the virus was never eliminated? If the virus is the wart, how could it come back? ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/27 "2010-11-10T21:21:27Z")
> [@sassyfras](#): > > If the wart reappears, then the virus was never eliminated? If the virus is the wart, how could it come back? The virus is not the wart. The virus _causes_ warts. It is the symptom of infection. You can be reinfected with HPV after the original wart is gone just as you can be reinfected with rhinovirus after already having a cold. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/28 "2010-11-10T21:47:51Z")
Also, when people remove warts, they sometimes don’t manage to get every last infected cell. If they leave some behind, the virus can begin reproducing again and eventually forms another wart in the same spot. You’ve really got to dig out a chunk of flesh to make sure. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/29 "2010-11-10T21:48:59Z")
also, as the wikipedia article with the gross picture points out, removing the wart through acids or surgery or whatever, may still leave some papilloma virus living in the nearby healthy-looking skin (the virus is in the healthy-looking skin, but has not caused a wart/tumor yet). So the infected cells that were not removed may later develop into more warts. ---
**Author:** ![Apex\_Rogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Apex\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apex_Rogers)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/30 "2010-11-11T10:12:57Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Viruses are not even microscopic, not the way that term is normally used to mean visible in a light microscope. [Offtopic] There’s a radio commercial for a petroleum company that brags up the special additives they put in their gasoline, claiming that these “microscopic molecules” help clean your engine. I shudder each time as I am aware of the distinction you describe above. [/Offtopic] ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/31 "2010-11-11T11:09:06Z")
> [@Cleophus](#): > > The virus is not the wart. The virus _causes_ warts. It is the symptom of infection. You can be reinfected with HPV after the original wart is gone just as you can be reinfected with rhinovirus after already having a cold. You get reinfected with a _different_ type of HPV, or a _different_ type of rhinovirus. If you got infected with (say) strain 16 of HPV, and your body cleared it off, you won’t get that again. But you may get strain (say) 10 because the antibodies your body made against strain 16 do not work against strain 10. It’s the whole idea behind vaccination, after all. 😉 If your body already has antibodies against an organism, and those antibodies are protective, you won’t get the same disease/get a weaker, easier to get rid of infection. Same with the rhinoviruses. You may have gotten (say) 1-100 strains and have antibodies for those, but hey, strain 201 has an antigen that is not recognized by your antibodies. You’re screwed, you’re going to get the infection until your body responds to it. Then you won’t get strain 201 again (or at least that severe). ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/32 "2010-11-11T11:14:59Z")
> [@Apex\_Rogers](#): > > [Offtopic] > > There’s a radio commercial for a petroleum company that brags up the special additives they put in their gasoline, claiming that these “microscopic molecules” help clean your engine. I shudder each time as I am aware of the distinction you describe above. > > [/Offtopic] I thought some [macromolecules](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macromolecule) were large enough to be seen under a microscope. But I know very little about biology, and when I want to pluralize the word ‘octopus’ I say: octopHOLYSHITTHEREISMORETHANONEOCTOPUSANDTHEY’RECOMINGRIGHTATME **GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!** ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140/33 "2010-11-11T15:09:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > According to my ninth-grade Latin teacher, if the Latin word “virus” had a Latin plural, it would have been “vira”, since despite the -us ending, it’s neuter. Since I find “viruses” cumbersome (with the two 's’s), that’s what I use. If you’re going to make up your own rules, and don’t like “viruses,” then it would be better to treat “virus” as both singular and plural, like “sheep” and “deer.” One virus, many virus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-virus-physically-grow-so-that-it-can-be-cut-out-arent-viri-microscopic/560140.md?page=1)