Chapter 6 Flashcards
Describe the general characteristics of viruses.
Viruses have several common characteristics: they are small, have DNA or RNA genomes, and are obligate intracellular parasites
Describe viral genomes
A viral genome is composed of DNA or RNA and enclosed in a capsid, which is a protein coat covering the nucleic acid or genome. The viral genome can be single-stranded or double-stranded and linear or circular.
What is a host range?
Host range describes the breadth of organisms a parasite is capable of infecting
What are vectors? Differentiate between biological and mechanical vectors.
Biological vectors, such as mosquitoes and ticks may carry pathogens that can multiply within their bodies and be delivered to new hosts, usually by biting. Mechanical vectors, such as flies can pick up infectious agents on the outside of their bodies and transmit them through physical contact.
What is phage therapy?
Phage therapy, viral phage therapy, or phago-therapy is the therapeutic use of bacteriophages for the treatment of pathogenic bacterial infections.
Describe the general characteristics of viral life cycles
The virus life cycle could be divided into six steps: attachment, penetration, uncoating, gene expression and replication, assembly, and release
Describe the lytic and lysogenic life cycles
The lytic cycle involves the reproduction of viruses using a host cell to manufacture more viruses; the viruses then burst out of the cell. The lysogenic cycle involves the incorporation of the viral genome into the host cell genome, infecting it from within.
Describe the replication process of animal viruses
Their replication process begins when the virion delivers its genome to a cell. The viral genome encodes proteins required for the synthesis of new viral genomes. New viral proteins plus new viral genomes assemble to form new particles or virions, and so the cycle continues.
Transduction
Occurs when a bacteriophage transfers bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another
during sequential infections
Persistent infection
Occurs when a virus is not completely cleared from the system of the host but stays in certain tissues or organs of the infected person.
Eclipse phase
Viruses bind and penetrate the cells with no virions detected in the medium
Burst
The chief difference in the viral growth curve compared to a bacterial growth curve occurs when
virions are released from the lysed host cell at the same time
Burst size
The number of virions per bacterium released
Viral titer
The number of virions per unit volume
What size filter pore is needed to collect a virus?
200 nanometers
