TRENDS IN MEDICAL VIROLOGY

Medical virology in 1994 is characterized by : 1) Routine studies of v iral load and genetic viral variants in chronically infected patients (HIV, HCV, CMV). 2) Adaptation of classical therapeutical methods to i mprove control of viral infections whilst waiting for a new generation of antiviral strategies. 3) New tasks for medical virology laboratori es : detection of virus in the environnement (water supply) or in hosp ital (in view to preventing nosocomial viral infections).