Both types, DNA and RNA variants, involve the use of enzymes to integrate the viral genome into that of the host cell. In other words, these viruses are more or less of the latent type, where they will stay in you year upon year without causing any harm, then exploding out resulting in death.
One of the most important virus in this classification is the Hepatitis B virus, which is a DNA reverse transcribing virus. Transmission of the virus occurs via direct inoculation into blood, either by contaminated needles, blood transfusion or unprotected sex. It can also pass from the mother to unborn foetus via the placenta.
Hepatitis B virus infects the hepatocytes, or liver cells, causing inflammation, jaundice and even death. Latency in the cells can lead to liver cancer.
Liver cancer is one of the worse kinds of cancers to get, because the cancer itself is not very responsive to chemotherapy meaning that it is very hard to treat.
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