Volume 8 Number 1 2025
Unmasking Nature’s Deceit: A Systematic Review of Biological Deception Across Pathogens, Viruses, and Genetic Systems
Marjan Ganjali Dashti 1*, Md Kawsar Mustofa 2
Microbial Bioactives 8 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/microbbioacts.8110417
Submitted: 04 February 2025 Revised: 09 April 2025 Accepted: 13 April 2025 Published: 14 April 2025
Abstract
Deception, though often viewed as a human trait, is deeply woven into the fabric of biology. From microscopic pathogens to complex genetic systems, life itself has evolved remarkable ways to mislead, conceal, and outmaneuver. This systematic review explores how deception serves as a survival strategy in diverse biological contexts—particularly within microbes, viruses, and cellular genetics. By synthesizing evidence from microbiology, virology, oncology, and molecular genetics, the review reveals how organisms manipulate host defenses, alter molecular signatures, and reshape genetic pathways to persist and thrive. Pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Plasmodium falciparum employ antigenic variation and immune evasion to prolong infection, while viruses like HIV and influenza rely on mutation, latency, and mimicry to stay undetected. Within human genetics, similar deceptive mechanisms emerge: cancer cells mask themselves through epigenetic silencing and genetic instability, mirroring the evasive tactics of infectious agents. Together, these patterns expose deception as a unifying biological theme that blurs the line between infection, mutation, and adaptation.
Recognizing and decoding these hidden strategies is essential for the next generation of diagnostics, vaccines, and targeted therapies. By unmasking how life deceives, we move closer to transforming biological trickery into tools for healing—turning deception itself into a guide for innovation in global health and precision medicine.
Keywords: Biological deception, Pathogens, Viruses, Genetic mutation, Immune evasion, Molecular mimicry, Precision medicine
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