Background of virology Flashcards
Lectures: -Week 2, day 1, lecture 1: Introduction, history of virology & viral families -Week 2, day 1, lecture 4: Acute viral infections - comparative pathology -Week 2, day 5, lecture 1: Emerging pathogens & pandemics -Week 3, day 5, lecture 2: Emerging pathogens & pandemics - Arboviruses
What is the virome?
All the viruses a specific body part carries around (similar to microbiome for bacteria)
What is the definition of a virus?
An infectious, obligate intracellular parasite, comprising genetic material (DNA/RNA), often surrounded by a protein coat, sometimes by a membrane
Which two organic stages do viruses have?
- Virion
- Infected cell
What is a virion?
An infectious viral particle
True or false: viruses outnumber cellular life
True; viruses outnumber cellular life by at least 10:1 -> greatest biodiversity on earth
What are the 5 general steps of the infectious viral cycle?
- Attachment & entry
- Translation
- Genome replication
- Assembly
- Release
What is a (virus-)susceptible cell?
A cell that has a functional receptor for a given virus -> only implies viral attachment
This cell may or may not be able to support viral replication
What is a (virus-)resistant cell?
A cell without the entry receptor for a specific virus
This cell may or may not be competent to support viral replication
What is a (virus-)permissive cell?
A cell that has the capacity to replicate virus
This cell may or may not be susceptible to the virus
How can a virus-permissive cell be brought to produce virus, even when it does not have the required entry receptor?
It can be artificially transfected, after which the cellular machinery will produce virus
Which two factors does a cell need to have in order for a virus to be able to infect and replicate in the cell?
- Susceptibe -> right entry receptor
- Permissive -> right cellular machinery for viral replication
How is the infectious cycle often studied?
In cell cultures
What is cytopathic effect (CPE)?
Viral effects on a cell -> can be used to identify the presence of virus
How can viral infectivity be studied? (2 methods)
- Plaque assays (for viruses that create plaques)
- Endpoint dilution assays (for viruses that do not create plaques)
True or false: all particles produced by a virus-infected cell are infectious
False; often a majority of the particles is non-infectious and defective
How can the amount of infectious particles be measured in relation to the total number of particles?
Particle/PFU ratio -> total amount of particles/plaque forming units
What are reasons for viral particles to be unsuccesfull in infecting another cell? (3)
- Damaged particles
- Mutations
- Complexity of infectious cycle
What is the eclipse period of the infectious cycle?
The period in which no (new) viral particles are detected -> intracellular production of viral particles