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Biology Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [pathology]

The study of diseases, including their causes and effects.

This tag is for questions about the biology of disease. Medical questions, other than those about the biology of medicine, may be off topic. See the help center and meta before posting your question on such topics.

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Can HIV be transmitted via mosquitos?

It is known that HIV is usually transmitted by direct blood or body fluid contact between an infected individual and a healthy person (like blood transfusion or needle sharing): Suppose a mosquito bites an individual suffering from AIDS and in the…
rishab bairagi
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What is the benefit of fever during infections?

When people get sick, they often develop a fever. What is the effect of an increased body temperature on viruses and bacteria in the body? Is it beneficial to the infected body? Importantly, often fever-reducing agents like aspirin are prescribed…
murmansk
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Why doesn't blood remain on a mosquito's proboscis in quantities that could spread blood-borne diseases?

We know that HIV can't be transmitted by mosquitos, and nor can other highly virulent viruses that are transmitted through blood and bodily fluid exchanges, such as Ebola (thankfully!). Marcus Junius Brutus asked an interesting question in a comment…
user56reinstatemonica8
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Why is rabies incurable?

I'm still not sure about the mechanics that lead to rabies being incurable. I know that it can be treated before any symptoms show up, but why is it that once symptoms show the person is a dead man walking?
thomasrive
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Specific mechanism behind lethality of yellow coat color in mice

Our high school genetics chapter has some extra information about L.Cuenot. It only covered his research, and the fact that mice homozygous for yellow coat color would die before birth. It was an example of a lethal allele. We have learned about…
Amarylis Vaselaar
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Why does the cold make us sick?

From the moment we learn to communicate, we always get told, whether by our parents, or our teachers, or by anyone else, to avoid the cold, or to put a jacket on to avoid catching a cold, to dry our hair before we go outside, because we'll get sick…
JohnPhteven
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Harmless virus?

Is it possible for a virus to live symbiotically with its host? Is the human body plagued with viral infections that do negligible harm, or even serve a beneficial role?
Gabriel Fair
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Can plants get cancer?

I can't think of any reason why plants wouldn't be able to get cancer, but I've never heard of a plant growing a tumor. I've also never seen a plant with a noticeable abnormal growth. Can plants get cancer?
Orcris
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What causes the range of severity of neurological deficits in Down's syndrome?

It's known that the severity of symptoms caused by a trisomy 21 varies from individual to individual. Part of the explanation for this range of severity is the finding that 94% of Down's syndrome sufferers have a full trisomy, ie., all of the cells…
AliceD
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Do we actually get more sick (flu/cold) during winter?

The word flu derives from the Italian phrase "influenza de freddo" meaning "influence of the cold". Indeed it is that time of the year when my colleagues seem to have the flu/cold more often than not. I remember during university, winter lectures…
hello_there_andy
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How does herpes (HSV) infection suppress HIV?

HIV compromises the human body to defend against infection. Yet people who are infected with herpes are at less risk of developing AIDS. How does this work? This question comes from this paper, which is hard for me to follow since I am uneducated on…
Gabriel Fair
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Why do diseases in the tap water of developing countries affect people from developed countries more?

My siblings and I went abroad to a country that doesn't have drinkable tap water, but we did not know this at the time as the people who lived there used to drink it all the time with no issues. One day, we all decided to drink a glass of water from…
James
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Why is the species-diversity of deadly parasites greatest in the tropics?

There are so many parasites living in tropical regions of Africa, South America, or Asia, but very few in Europe or North America. Is this due to climate, or are there other reasons? Many of the tropical diseases and parasites are transmitted by…
Martin Vegter
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Why doesn't HDL cause diseases like LDL?

LDL particles pose a risk for cardiovascular disease when they invade the endothelium and become oxidized, since the oxidized forms are more easily retained by the proteoglycans. A complex set of biochemical reactions regulates the oxidation of LDL…
user12874
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Do colour-blind people see white?

I know that white colour is perceived on excitation of red, blue and green cones simultaneously. It is also said that a colour-blind person doesn't see a particular colour and just perceives it as a shade of grey. If their (for example all red)…
JM97
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