Eiviruksiin

Eiviruksiin is a term used in some Finnish-language discussions of infectious disease to denote agents not classified as viruses by standard virology. It is not part of formal taxonomies in international databases such as ICTV and is not widely adopted in scientific journals. The term functions as an umbrella label rather than a precise taxonomic category.

The category may include viroids, prions, virus-like replicons, satellite RNAs and DNAs, and other subviral or unconventional infectious agents. Because of the diversity of these agents, there is no single unifying replication mechanism or genome type. Viroids are small circular RNAs that do not encode proteins and replicate using host enzymes; prions are misfolded proteins that propagate by inducing conformational change in normal proteins; satellite pathogens depend on co-infection with a helper virus; virophages are viruses that parasitize other viruses.

Terminology and controversy: The label "eiviruksiin" is informal and sometimes controversial because it may blur distinctions between viruses and non-viral pathogens. In practice, scientists describe these agents with more specific terms (viroid, prion, satellite, etc.). In research and public health, the focus remains on understanding replication, host range, and pathogenic potential within each specific category.