Recovered patients who tested positive for COVID-19 likely not reinfected

[admin]

This phenomenon is likely due to the shortcomings of the coronavirus test, experts say

Recovered patients who tested positive for COVID-19 likely not reinfected : Read more

 

[sb5k]

"Culturing" the virus would have to be done in host cells, not just a plain lab dish. The dish would have to contain cells the virus could infect. Unlike bacteria, viruses are not "alive" in the sense of having a metabolism. They are only genetic material (DNA or RNA) and a protein shell used to bind to a host cell and inject the genetic material. They use the host cell's metabolism to create copies.
This is why antiviral drugs are so difficult - they cannot have much of an effect on the host cells, and the binding sites already have their uses.

 

[DJB]

Some viruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the chickenpox virus, can integrate themselves into the host genome by making their way into the nucleus of human cells . . .

Although some Herpesviruses integrate into the genome:

Herpesviruses and Chromosomal Integration
Guillaume Morissette, Louis Flamand
Journal of Virology Nov 2010, 84 (23) 12100-12109; DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01169-10

There is no evidence that the chickenpox virus integrates into the host genome.

The chicken pox virus enters into the nucleus, but achieves latency by maintaining a circular episome in the nucleus of the cell.

Sources:
Eshleman, E., Shahzad, A., & Cohrs, R. J. (2011). Varicella zoster virus latency. Future virology, 6(3), 341–355. https://doi.org/10.2217/fvl.10.90

Herpesviral Latency—Common Themes
Pathogens 2020, 9(2), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9020125

Herpesviral Latency—Common Themes

Latency establishment is the hallmark feature of herpesviruses, a group of viruses, of which nine are known to infect humans. They have co-evolved alongside their hosts, and mastered manipulation of cellular pathways and tweaking various processes to their advantage. As a result, they are very...

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