Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has been found in virtually all commercial tobacco products. Why, then, is TMV infection not an additional hazard for smokers?
TMV is not an additional hazard for smokers because the humans are not within the range of hosts of the TMV virus and so the humans cannot be infected. The Tobacco Mosaic Virus is actually a single stranded RNA virus that infects a wide variety of plants and especially the tobacco plants. The main signal is the discoloration of the leaves of the plants.
