Question

Polio is a virus that causes muscle paralysis, for example, former President Franklin D Roosevelt used a wheelchair after contracting polio when he was 39. However, this virus NEVER directly affects muscular tissue. (a) How would this virus paralyze skeletal muscle without directly affecting the muscle tissue? (b) This virus never causes paralysis of the heart… why would it not affect the heart if it does affect skeletal muscle?

Answer 1

1.This polio virus destroy the nerve cells that activate the Skeltal muscles.So the Skeltal muscle will not receive action potential from nerve cells as they are damaged leading to paralysis without effecting the muscle tissue.

2.polio doesn't effect heart muscle because heart has its own neural control and even if the polio effect the nerve cells in the brain controlling the heart muscle ,the heart has its own pacemaker and generates it's own action potential