Perspectives, it is all about perspectives.
‘The virocell concept and environmental microbiology’ by Patrick Forterre proposes a new way to view the the virus life cycle differently, by considering the cellular replication stage as the ‘virocell’ – viruses exist in assemblage with their host cells. Instead of counting the particles of viruses, to look at the infected virus factory cells as virocells that are different from non-infected cells. Particularly due to the different morphology and mechanisms of the infected cells.
It emphasis the fundamental change of cells. For (perhaps) an exaggeration in how we understand ourselves and diseases, when sick from flu, you will be literally a human-virus assemblage, a x-man. Similar to the idea that instead of human body as an entity with clear boundaries that we can call inside and outside, where only outside is in contact with bacteria (e.g. skin and inner mucus that separate ‘me’ and the others), the human-virus assemblage is the fusion of others and self. We are fundamentally different when we turn into a walking virus production factory. We can call people who are infected by influenza as ‘Homo sapiens var. influenza’. Or even, instead of caucasian and mongoloid, it’s influenzaloid.
It would be a good question that what do I share with a bird when we both got bird flu…