Lecture 1

Question 1

What were the early interpretations of disease and plagues?

Answer 1

Human diseases and deaths were caused by evil and astrological forces and plagues were sign’s of God’s punishment for sins committed by mankind
The strongest and most fit would survive, but not for too long

Question 2

Explain Smallpox

Answer 2

Ancient virus that altered humanity
The most dreadful infectious disease in human history
Annual deaths: 400K toward end of 18th century
Estimated # of deaths: 300-500 M (300 M since 1900)
Five monarchs died of smallpox
Highly fatal (80% in children, 20-60% in adults)
Global vaccination: 1966-1977,
Erradication: 1979
Stockpile vaccines due to concerns over bio-terrorism
Lot worse than COVID or Spanish flu

Question 3

How did smallpox play a role in the conquest of North America?

Answer 3

1763: General Jeffrey Amherst suggested using germ warfare, distributing blankets contaminated with smallpox
Captain Simeon Ecuyer distributed two blankets and numerous handkerchiefs contaminated with smallpox and presented them as gifts

Question 4

Explain Influenza

Answer 4

First recorded in 412 BC by Hippocrates
Ancient zoonotic disease likely originated in domesticated animals, about 6000 years ago
Thought to be caused by bad air, or astrological forces
Seasonal epidemics, leading to annual flu shot
Severely infect the young, the old, the immunocompromised, estimated 50- 70 K deaths/year in US alone from seasonal flu (largely due to secondary bacterial infections; pneumonia)
The Spanish flu (1918-1919) was the biggest outbreak of influenza

Question 5

Explain Great Flu Pandemic

Answer 5

Rapid, people die in a few days after infection
Extremely lethal; very painful;
Infects not only the young and old, but also the strong and the prime
Severely reduced the fighting power on both sides of the battlefield
News broke out in Spain, hence the name “Spanish flu”

Question 6

Explain Poliomyeltitis and paralysis

Answer 6

Most feared summer disease in children
Common viral disease among children
The paralytic form of infection was the most debilitating and feared
Transmission via oral-fecal route, later infect CNS, leading to death or paralysis
Most devastating in the first half of 20th century;
FDR contracted polio, claimed war against polio in 1930
Iron lung as the only treatment for patients with paralytic poliomyelitis, kind of like a mechanical ventilator

Question 7

Explain Ebola

Answer 7

Hemorrhagic fever in Africa, mortality: 75%, but not easily transmissible
Fever, headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, hemorrhage
Incubation period: 2-21 days
Recovery depends on clinic support and immune system
Transmission: direct contact with body fluid, contaminated objects
Health care facilities were at the risk of quick spread
Origin was likely a fruit bat or primates
As of 2015, 40% fatality

Question 8

Explain SARS

Answer 8

Fatality rate: 9.6%, widespread panic and the origin was likely Chinese horseshoe bat, palm civets, raccoon dogs

Question 9

Explain the evolution of COVID

Answer 9

Dec 12, 2019: Outbreak first reported in Wuhan
Jan 9, 2020: China CDC identifies new coronavirus
Jan 31 2020: WHO declares COVID-19 Public Health Emergency of International Concern
March 11 2020: WHO declares COVID a pandemic
Travel ban, lockdown, quarantine, social distancing, masking, curfews, vaccines, vaccine mandate
Global destruction to economy and social network, shortage of PPEE, threats to health care, massive job loss, mental illness, loss of life

Question 10

Explain Human Herpesvirus 1

Answer 10

Cold sore, or fever blister is caused by a DNA virus, herpes simplex virus 1
Cold sore is one of the most common viral infections in humans and occurs during the lifetime of the vast majority of humans
Reactivation is triggered by various stress factors

Question 11

Explain MMR

Answer 11

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella

There was an anti vaccine movement, and therefore re-emergence of measles and mumps

Question 12

Explain HPV

Answer 12

Human papilloma virus, the most sexually transmitted infections in USA
By age 50, 80% of women in the US have contracted at least one type of genital HPV
Prevalence of the high risk HPV types can reach 15% in females
Infection with high-risk types may cause cervical cancer and genital diseases
470,000 new cancer patients/year

Question 13

Explain the evolution of HIV and AIDS

Answer 13

Most feared pandemic in recent human history
1981: pneumonia cluster in LA, followed Kaposi’s sarcoma, 14,000 new infections per day (< 5,000 per day) and total # of death since outbreak is 32 million
2019: 38M living with HIV (36.2M in adults, 1.2M in children)
Sub-Saharan Africa: 25% of population infected in some regions
Attack immune system, which leads to death due to secondary infections
Transmission: body fluid (sex, injection, blood transfusion

Question 14

What are some diseases currently?

Answer 14

1) Foot and mouth disease 2001 outbreak in UK
2) Tobacco Mosaic Virus
3) Papaya Ringspot Virus

Question 15

Are all viruses pathogenic?

Answer 15

All highly deadly viruses responsible for major human diseases are not human viruses
These viruses originated from animals that happened to cross the trans-species ‘barrier’ into Homo sapiens
Humans have been the biggest helper of emerging and re-emerging viruses
Most of the viruses are not lethal to their host but negotiate co-existence
Infection with the same viral pathogen leads to vastly different outcomes, depending on many factors (age groups, health status, the immune system, among others)

Question 16

What are some good things that have come from viruses?

Answer 16

1) Molecular biology was established in large part via studying viruses
2) DNA (in phage) or RNA (TMV) serves as genetic material
3) Defiance of the central dogma, reverse transcription and RTase
4) Splicing of pre-mRNAs in eukaryotic systems (adenovirus)
5) RNA silencing (aka RNAi, or post-transcriptional gene silencing)
6) Viruses as vectors in gene therapy and cancer treatment
7) Genetic engineering of plant crops for resistance against viral diseases

Question 17

Explain vaccines and disease control

Answer 17

Research in virology resulted in the development and utilization of numerous vaccines against major infectious diseases in humans and livestock animals
Broad use of vaccines put highly pathogenic and devastating diseases under control (until recently)
Global vaccination programs have resulted in the eradication of smallpox and near eradication of major infantile diseases such as polio and measles
New vaccine technologies and platforms
Immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies and T cells

Question 18

What can viruses be harnessed for?

Answer 18

Gene therapy 
Protein expression 
Oncolytics
Recombinant vaccines 
Functional genomics 
Revival of phage therapy to control bacterial infections with multi-drug resistance
Nanoparticles

Question 19

What was the listeriosis outbreak cure?

Answer 19

Listex is a bacteriophage formulation effective against Listeria monocytogenes

Question 20

Why do we study viruses?

Answer 20

1) Viruses are pathogens, causing diseases, epidemics, pandemics, pestilences, loss and sufferings in human, animals, plants
2) Viruses negatively impact on economy, society, social network, the history of humanity from antiquity to now
3) Viruses are living things (though unique); they are vastly diverse and intrinsically interesting
4) They have played and will continue to play significant roles in advancing life sciences, biotechnology, medicine
5) They could be and have been harnessed for beneficial purposes in medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, the ecosystem (gene therapy, oncolytics, pest bio-control, transgenic resistance to viral diseases, functional genomics
6) Knowledge for defence against bioterrorism threats