How can disinfectants kill viruses so easily but they are hard to kill when inside someone
In: Biology
Viruses out “in the wild” on surfaces and in the air are just a protein shell with genetic material inside. It’s very simple to just break down exposed protein and the genetic material into non-working bits of biological molecules. Once a virus is inside a person, however, the virus spends most of its time inside the person’s cells, where their genetic material overrides your own and uses your protein- and genetic material-reproducing mechanisms to create more viruses. It’s really difficult to find and destroy something that is inside your own cells without destroying all your cells and killing you in the process. The only time the virus is exposed is when it leaves your cells, after producing as many copies of itself as it can, and the new viruses move to nearby cells and inject their genetic material. While they’re outside your cells, they can be attacked and broken down by your immune system, but oftentimes your immune system is too slow to get the required virus-destroying machinery to the site, or can’t recognize the virus as a threat.
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