Viruses that cause human disease often become resistant to the drugs that we treat them with.
In contrast, plant viruses seem to overcome countermeasures (such as resistance genes incorporated into host genotypes either through conventional breeding or genetic engineering) less often.
Of course, you can take issue with this characterization. I'd welcome literature that either supports or opposes it. However, in scanning the literature, it seems to be true. Viral resistance genes in plants seem to be more durable than anti-viral drugs used to treat viral infections in animals.
My question is: Why?
Is it something to do with the generally different way we treat viruses in plants (incorporating resistance genes into the genome) vs viruses in people (drugs, vaccines, etc)? Or something else?
I welcome speculation. I especially welcome papers.
Hi, I think that by definition any virus will first look for an organism were it can survive and replicate. This step done, the virus will look for another organism to conquer or it will be forced to deal with a new organism. Of course, it is not as easy and simple as it looks but for me, viruses represent best adaptation in Nature. So, the more complex the organism will be the more responses and ways, the organism will use to fight back the virus. However, if the virus is not defeated it develops strength (kind of new superpower or super resistance). That is said, if the virus is passed from a plant to an animal and if it survives inside the animal, this virus will be classified as more dangerous because he could survive more numerous and stronger resistance mechanisms of the host. I think this is applicable to drug resistance, if the virus resists to a drug it will become harder to fight, why? because this virus became stronger, or it developed more abilities to survive.So finally drugs are kind of weapons that are designated to kill the virus but the risk that remains is when the virus learn how to deal with this weapon before it kills it.
These are two papers that can help further.
www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/6/2/16/pdf .
Article A Review of Antibiotic Use in Food Animals: Perspective, Pol...
I'm not completely sure why, but my educated guess is that animal viruses spread faster, so the virus goes through more generations more quickly. Animals usually move so they can expose others more quickly than a plant can. More viral replication generations means more opportunities for the selection of traits that can cause resistance.
In addition to speed of replication (more generations -> more mutations), there could be just a funny thing: animal viruses and their interaction with antivirals have been studied better :)
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