Glossary
Positive Sense Single Stranded RNA
A single strand of RNA that is the positive (or sense) strand which encodes mRNA (messenger RNA) and protein.
Prenatal
Occurring or existing before birth
Pro Drug
A precursor of a drug. A prodrug must undergo chemical conversion by metabolic processes before becoming an active pharmacological agent.
Progeny
A descendant or an offspring
Purine RNA Nucleotide
The adenosine and uracil nucleotides used in RNA synthesis
Quasispecies
A cluster of variant viruses that arise from mutations over time within a viral isolate. Seen particularly with RNA viruses because of the inherently high mutation rate caused by copy errors during replication by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the absence of proof-reading in RNA replication.
Relapse
The return of signs and symptoms of a disease after a patient has gone into remission
RNA
Ribonucleic acid
RNA Polymerase
An enzyme that catalyzes the assembly of ribonucleoside triphosphates into RNA, with single-stranded DNA serving as the template
RT- PCR
A method of polymerase-chain-reaction amplification of nucleic acid sequences that uses RNA as the template for transcribing the corresponding DNA using reverse transcriptase.
Sera
Plural of serum. The clear liquid that separates from blood when it is allowed to clot completely, and is therefore blood plasma from which fibrogen has been removed during clotting.
Subcutaenously
Located or administered just beneath the skin.
Vaccine
A suspension of attenuated or killed microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, or rickettsiae), or of antigenic proteins derived from them, administered for prevention, amelioration, or treatment of infectious diseases.