BIO - TERMS - VIRU Flashcards
Accessibility
An attribute that describes the physical availability of cells to virus particles at the site of infection. (Chapter 2)
Antiviral state
A condition in which cells cannot support reproduction of viruses as a result of binding and responding to interferon. (Chapter 3)
Berlin patient
A man with HIV who was treated in Berlin with a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplant from a donor deficient in a coreceptor for the virus (CCR5) for an unrelated illness (leukemia). He is thought to be cured of HIV infection, and is one of the only known patients in which the virus is thought to be completely eliminated, a so-called ‘sterilizing’ cure.
Cytopathic virus
A virus that causes characteristic visible cell damage and death upon infection of cells in culture. (Chapter 5)
Efficiency of plating
The plaque titer divided by the number of virus particles in the sample. (Chapter 2)
elite controllers
A subset of HIV-infected long-term non-progressors who have clinically undetectable levels of virus without antiretroviral therapy.
Enhancing antibodies
Antibodies that can facilitate viral infection by allowing virus particles to which they bind to enter susceptible cells. (Chapter 7)
Girus
Giant virus.
human microbiome
The total collection of microorganisms (i.e., bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, and protists) residing on and within the body.
Inactivated vaccine
A vaccine made by taking a disease-causing virus and treating it (e.g., with chemicals) to reduce infectivity to undetectable levels. (Chapter 8)
inclusion body
A granule or viral particle in the cytoplasm or nucleus of some infected cells; important in the identification of viruses that cause infection.
Interfering antibodies
Antibodies that can bind to virus particles or infected cells and block interaction with neutralizing antibodies. (Chapter 7)
intracellular pathogens
Pathogens, including all viruses and many bacteria and protozoa, that enter and replicate inside host cells to cause disease.
Koplik’s spots
Small spots inside the mouth that are hallmarks of measles virus infection. (Chapter 1)
latency
A state in which a virus infects a cell but does not replicate.
Latent period
The phase of viral infection during which no extracellular virus can be detected. (Chapter 2)
lytic phase, productive phase
The phase of the viral life cycle in which there is active viral replication followed by destruction of the infected host cell as the virus escapes to infect new target cells.
Microbicides
Creams or ointments that inactivate or block virus particles before they can attach and penetrate tissues. (Chapter 9)
microorganism
A living organism too small to be seen with the naked eye; includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and microscopic algae; also includes viruses.
Multiplicity of infection
The number of infectious virus particles added per cell. (Chapter 2)
Neuroinvasive virus
A virus that can enter the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) aft er infection of a peripheral site. (Chapter 2)
Neurotropic virus
A virus that can infect neurons. (Chapter 2)
Neurovirulent virus
A virus that can cause disease in nervous tissue, manifested by neurological symptoms and often death. (Chapter 2)
Neutralize
To block (by antibodies) the infectivity of virus particles. (Chapter 2)
Noncytopathic virus
A virus that produces no visible signs of infection in cells. (Chapter 5)
oncogenic virus
A virus that is capable of producing tumors; also called oncovirus.
One-hit kinetics
A linear relationship between plaque count and virus concentration that indicates that one infectious particle is sufficient to initiate infection. (Chapter 2)
Pantropic virus
A virus that replicates in many tissues and cell types. (Chapter 2)
Plaque purified
Prepared from a single plaque (refers to virus stock); when one infectious virus particle initiates a plaque, the viral progeny within the plaque are clones. (Chapter 2)
Plaque-forming units per milliliter
A measure of virus infectivity. (Chapter 2)
Quasispecies
Virus populations that exist as dynamic distributions of nonidentical but related replicons. (Chapter 6)
Shedding
The release of virus particles from an infected host. (Chapter 2)
shingles
Disease caused when herpes zoster virus (the virus that causes chickenpox) is reactivated later in life in a person who has had chickenpox.
Slow viruses
Viruses characterized by long incubation periods, typical for the genus lentivirus in the family Retroviridae. (Chapter 7)
titer
An estimate of the amount of antibodies or viruses in a solution; determined by serial dilution and expressed as the reciprocal of the dilution.
tumor virus
Virus that can help make the cell it infects cancerous.
Two-hit kinetics
A parabolic relationship between plaque count and virus concentration which indicates that two different types of virus particle must infect a cell to ensure reproduction. (Chapter 2)
virology
The scientific study of viruses.
Viruria
Th e presence of viruses in the urine. (Chapter 2)
Virus titer
The concentration of a virus in a sample. (Chapter 2)
virus-neutralizing antibodies
Antibodies that block the ability of a virus to establish infection of cells.
VLP
Virus-like particles.
Xenophagy
Th e capture of virus particles for degradation in lysosomes. (Chapter 3)
Rous sarcoma virus
A retrovirus that causes sarcomas in chickens.
Viral pathogenesis
The processes by which viral infections cause disease. (Chapter 2)
Virus evolution
Th e constant change of a viral population in the face of selection pressures. (Chapter 10)
Virus reproduction
The sum total of all events that occur during the infectious cycle. (Chapter 2)
