Viral Diseases Trivia

1. Poxviruses belong to the Group I of DNA viruses. To what family do poxviruses belong?

From Quiz Life is Like a Pox of Chocolates

Answer: Poxviridae

Poxviridae is a family of Group I viruses, also known as double-stranded DNA viruses, which include poxviruses. Group I viruses can be either assigned to the order Caudovirales, Herpesvirales or Ligamenvirales or be in an unassigned family of viruses such as the Poxviridae.

From Quiz The Uncommon Cold

Answer: A virus of the family Adenoviridae

They are a group I virus, which means they have double-stranded DNA. There are 57 serotypes of adenovirus. One, adenovirus type-14, has been called the "killer cold" virus, because it produces severe symptoms and it led to deaths in Ireland in the 2000s, and it also led to many illnesses in the USA, including Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, where one recruit died. The uncommon cold virus, adenovirus type-3*, tends to be less severe but can still cause many problems for the immune-compromised, the very young, and the very old. *Other serotypes of adenovirus have also been called the "uncommon cold virus", but type 3 is the most common.

From Quiz Colds and Flu - how much do you know?

Answer: Strong alcohol, water, honey and lemon

A hot toddy certainly isn't proven to actually relieve the symptoms of the common cold, but if you think they'll make you feel better - go for it! If you want to make a hot toddy, here's a good recipe: * 3.5 tablespoons of strong alcohol such as Whisky, Bourbon or Dark rum or Brandy * 3.5 tablespoons boiling water * Half a teaspoon of honey * A dash of lemon and a couple of cloves (optional) Place the alcohol in a container, stir the honey in, add the boiling water, lemon and cloves and serve piping hot. Sip slowly (you don't wan't to make your sore throat any worse by burning it!)

From Quiz Rubella

Answer: German measles

The syndrome for rubella is called "German measles" or "Three-day measles". Rubeola refers to the measles virus, mumps refers to mumps virus, and roseola refers to human-herpesvirus 6.

From Quiz The Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Answer: Because of the RNA material in the viral core

Most viruses have DNA in their core, which when incorporated into the host cell's DNA is replicated, spreading the viral infection. Retroviruses on the other hand have RNA in their core. This single strand RNA is synthesised into double stranded DNA inside the host cell before it is incorporated into the host cell's DNA, enabling viral replication.

From Quiz Chicken Pox

Answer: Varicella zoster virus

The vaccinia virus causes cowpox, the human papilloma virus causes cervical cancer, and the HIV virus causes HIV or AIDS.

From Quiz Viral Lymphatic and Cardiovascular Infections

Answer: 2

They are called HIV-1 and HIV-2. They are a part of a family of viruses called retroviruses.

From Quiz Herpes Facts and Fiction

Answer: 20-25%

Herpes is very common. The estimate is increasing from 1 out of 5 Americans to 1 out of 4.

From Quiz German Measles

Answer: Togavirus

German measles is caused by the Rubella virus, which is a togavirus.

From Quiz Chickenpox

Answer: Varicella

Chickenpox, or varicella, is most commonly characterized by the vesicular lesions on the skin of the face, thorax, and back that become encrusted.

From Quiz Ebola Virus in Detail

Answer: Ebola Tai

Ebola Tai is the other name but it is usually known as Ebola Ivory Coast.

From Quiz The World of Ebolaviruses

Answer: Zaire

The outbreak in Sudan started in June 1976, while the outbreak in Zaire started two months later in August 1976. They were caused by two separate Ebolavirus strains - the Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) and Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV). It was actually the Zaire strain that was discovered first, leading to the identification of the cause of the previous outbreak in Sudan.

From Quiz Hepatitis Viruses

Answer: Inflammation

Any word ending in the suffix 'itis' refers to inflammation - examples are appendicitis, mastitis or tonsillitis. Inflammation of the liver can lead to permanent scarring, known as cirrhosis. Untreated hepatitis can also lead to liver cancer, and is one of the leading causes of this cancer, although by no means the only one. Atrophy refers to shrinkage or wasting away while sclerosis is hardening. Porosis means becoming porous, as in osteoporosis where bone become riddled with larger than normal holes making them prone to breaking.

From Quiz Ebola Virus

Answer: Ebola River

The Ebola virus is named for the Ebola River, where the first outbreaks occurred in 1976.

From Quiz Plague of Galen

Answer: Skin rashes

In smallpox, the disease would be characterized by fever, body pain, headache, and gastrointestinal disturbances like nausea and diarrhea. Later, rashes would begin starting in the mouth and then on the skin. The pattern of rash on the skin was not limited to a specific part of the body. It would spread to all parts of the body including the face. In measles, the symptoms include fever, body pain, cold, headache and spots on the mouth, palate and nose. Typically, a rash would start on the face and then spread to the rest of the body. Diarrhea and dehydration is also common in cases of measles.

From Quiz Life is Like a Pox of Chocolates

Answer: skin spots, bumps or scars

A poxvirus causes spots, bumps or scars on the skin of the infected host. Other symptoms of a poxvirus include fever, swollen lymph glands, rash, muscle pain, malaise, headache, body aches and vomiting.

From Quiz The Uncommon Cold

Answer: more severe

Not only are the symptoms of the uncommon cold more severe, but also, unlike the common cold, they may be fatal.

From Quiz Colds and Flu - how much do you know?

Answer: Colds are produced by a variety of rapidly mutating viruses

Because common colds are produced by rapidly mutating viruses, it is thought that finding an effective vaccine for the common cold is highly improbable. Not good news for any of us who suffer colds regularly...

From Quiz Rubella

Answer: MMR

The correct response is MMR. MMR is a vaccine that protects against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. Varivax provides protection against the varicella virus, which causes chickenpox. DTaP vaccination stands for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis. Gardasil provides protection from human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer.

From Quiz Viruses: Enemy of Humans

Answer: Smallpox

Smallpox left its survivors with scars, or pocks, that no longer left the skin smooth. There is no cure for smallpox but, thanks to a campaign with the goal of worldwide immunization from smallpox, it has been declared eradicated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

From Quiz The Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Answer: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Through out the years scientists have collected blood samples from people who have died of unknown causes and archived them for future analysis. In recent years some of these samples have been screened for the presence of HIV antibody. The oldest sample to test positive for HIV was collected from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo in 1959. No blood samples predating the Kinshasa 1959 sample have tested positive for HIV to date.

From Quiz Smallpox Victims and Heroes

Answer: The inventor of the smallpox vaccine

Edward Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine (the first vaccine) in 1796. The pre-existing therapy, variolation, involved giving susceptible people scabs from victims of the mild form of smallpox (the recipient would get smallpox but remain immune to the more serious smallpox). Edward Jenner suffered severely in his youth due to the side effects of variolation. As a physician, he noted that milk maids did not get small pox and deduced that their exposure to cowpox gave them resistance to smallpox. He tested the cowpox lesions on a local boy and then exposed the boy to smallpox. After the boy showed resistance to smallpox infection, Jenner trumpeted that he had found a preventive cure. Many people opposed the cowpox-based vaccine. Some people even claimed that it would turn people into cows.

From Quiz Chicken Pox

Answer: It can be prevented by a vaccine.

A toddler can get the vaccine once he or she is one year old. Also someone can get the vaccine, if they haven't had it before, when they are 11-12. The vaccine works 70-90% of the time, and if the vaccinated person gets the disease, the person will have much milder symptoms.

From Quiz Viral Lymphatic and Cardiovascular Infections

Answer: 80 to 90%

Signs and symptoms of acute HIV usually occur within days to weeks after initial exposure and last from a few days to more than 10 weeks. Unfortunately, this syndrome was often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because the antibodies are not usually detected during this stage. Note - this quiz was written in 2002, and medical science has advanced since then.

From Quiz Hantaviruses

Answer: Breathing in dust from rodent waste

Hantaviruses have some nasty habits, none nastier than hanging around rodent excreta. (We all have that one cousin or in-law, though, who's not quite right.) They hitch rides on rodents, particularly mice and rats, and exit the animal joyfully clinging to its urine, droppings, and saliva. The most common way humans get infected is by breathing in tiny airborne particles contaminated with this waste. Rodent excreta dry out. When you're just minding your own business sweeping a floor, opening an old shed, or rummaging around under the sink, it disturbs the dried-out waste, and that can send microscopic virus particles drifting into the air, a very unwelcome cloud of fecal matter and harmful viruses. This is why hantavirus infections very often pop up around places that have been closed up for a while. I'm talking about barns, storage sheds, hunting cabins, or that mysterious garage corner where the stuff your wife just can't bear to throw away goes to live out the rest of its life. If rodents have been using the place as a long-term bathroom, stirring up that dust can create a cloud of contaminated particles. If they hit your lungs, you could have a big problem.

From Quiz German Measles

Answer: 14 to 21 days

It is contagious from shortly before the onset of symptoms until the rash disappears.

From Quiz Chickenpox

Answer: Varicella-zoster

Varicella-zoster or VZ is a herpes virus.

From Quiz Ebola Virus in Detail

Answer: 2-21

Yep it takes 2-21 days to take effect depending on how you contracted it.

From Quiz The World of Ebolaviruses

Answer: Marburgvirus

Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus both belong to the family of Filoviridae, along with a few other lesser known viral genera. When the first Ebolavirus disease outbreak occurred, Marburgvirus was thought to be the cause until it was later determined to be a new, related species.

From Quiz Ebola Virus

Answer: Virginia

Ebola's initial outbreak in the United States began in Reston, Virginia (1989). Since then it has been found in Texas and Pennsylvania.

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Last Updated Mar 21 2026 5:47 AM

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