Question

In 2020, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Harvey J Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M Rice for the discovery of:
1. tobacco mosaic virus
2. hepatitis C virus
3. Epstein-Barr virus
4. Norwalk virus

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : hepatitis C virus

The correct answer is hepatitis C virus.

• In 2020, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Harvey J Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M Rice for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.
  • The methodical studies of transfusion-associated hepatitis by 2020 Medicine Laureate Harvey J. Alter demonstrated that an unknown virus was a common cause of chronic hepatitis.
  • Michael Houghton – awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – used an untested strategy to isolate the genome of the new virus that was named Hepatitis C virus.
  • Medicine Laureate Charles M. Rice provided the final evidence showing that the Hepatitis C virus alone could cause hepatitis

• Hepatitis, from the Greek name for liver and inflammation, is a disease characterized by poor appetite, vomiting, fatigue and jaundice – yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
  • Chronic hepatitis leads to liver damage, which may progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
  • Viral infection is the leading cause of hepatitis, with some forms persisting without symptoms for many years before life-threatening complications develop.