Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is a virus
Smallest infectious agents and scrapie
What does a virus consist of
1 or more molecules of only one type of nucleic acid - protective protein shell
What are some viruses enclosed within
An envelope that contains both protein and lipid
What are the characteristics of viruses (3)
- They are all obligate intracellular parasites
- Unique way of replication
- Programs the infected cell
What is a virus structure
(refer to lecture notes)
What viruses have helical symmetry
Rhabdoviruses
What viruses have complex symmetry
Large viruses
- Poxviruses
How can viruses mature
Budding though a membrane and acquiring a lipid envelope of host origin
What are embedded in a viral envelope
Glycoproteins
What does viral nucleic acid play a vital role in
Replication
What are viral proteins
A structural/non-structural protein. Structural proteins are those that can be incorporated into virison
Function of viral proteins (structural) (4)
- Protect viral gnome
- Assist in the attachment of virus particles to a susceptible host cell
- Acts as immunological antigens
- Give structural symmetry
Function of non-structural viral proteins
- Enzymes form replication cycle and enzymes such as reverse transcriptase
What is an Arbovirus
Arthropod-borne virus
What are prions
The transmissible agent responsible for subacute spongiform encephalopathies
