How were viruses discovered? Who are the pioneers behind the establishment of virology as a branch of biology? This and much more in this episode of The Viral Talk.

Key takeaways:

- The first virus to ever be observed was the Tobacco Mosaic Virus, and it was discovered thanks the invention of the Chamberland filter.

- The first mammal virus to be discovered was the Foot and Mouth Disease virus, which is a very economically important virus that infects cloven-hoofed viruses. It was discovered by two german bacteriologists called Friedrich Loeffler and Paul Frosch.

- The first ever human virus to be discovered was Yellow Fever virus, and its history is strongly intertwined with the history of Cuba and the opening of the Panama Canal.

- The word 'virus' (from the latin word for 'poison') already existed before the identification of viruses as a biological entities, but it was used to

describe any cause of infectious disease.

For the most interested:

10.1016/B978-0-12-375156-0.00001-1 - History and Impact of Virology article

PMID: 12523707

doi:10.3201/eid1201.050979

The role of microscopy in modern science -  doi: 10.1098/rsob.150019

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