Lecture 1: Viruses and Viral Disease Flashcards

1
Q

What is the oldest biological material with signs of viral disease?

A

Traces of smallpox postules on mummified head of Ramses V (3,161 year old mummy).

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2
Q

Can some mummies or buried corpses from historical smallpox outbreaks remain infectious?

A

Not known but as of now not yet determined

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3
Q

What is paleovirology?

A

Receding glaciers/melting ice sheets: Microbes trapped 3,000to 750,000 years ago have been released from ice cores.

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4
Q

Have human live ancient viruses been found yet?

A

No

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5
Q

What is an example of an ancient virus? (Example 1)

A

2014: Novel giant virus Pithovirus sibericum discovered in a sample of 30,000 year old Siberian permafrost (from 100 ft deep).

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6
Q

Pithorvirus only infects/kills___

A

amoebae

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7
Q

What is another type of ancient virus? (Example 2)

A

2015: Mollivirus sibericum (another giant virus of amoebae) was discovered in a sample of 30,000 year old Siberian permafrost.

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8
Q

This was the 4th ancient virus recovered from permafrost:

A

Mollivirus sibericum

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9
Q

Permafrost is a very good preserver of microbes and viruses because?

A

It is cold, there is no oxygen, and it is dark (no UV damage).

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10
Q

Describe the flu fragments discovered in 2007?

A

Fragments of genome of 1918 Spanish flu virus recovered from corpses buried in mass graves in Alaskan tundra

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11
Q

What is another definition of paleovirology?

A

Molecular (genomic) fossils: Primate genomes (including our own) are a graveyard of extinct retrovirus genomes acquired at different times during evolution.

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12
Q

How old is the oldest recognizable ERV (found in coral genome)?

A

600 million years old

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13
Q

Describe the impact of the smallpox virus

A

(Antoine Roman) plague, 165 AD: 5 million dead (2.5% of world population).
Native Americans: 12-20 million up to 95% of the entire population CFR up to 30%

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14
Q

Describe the impact of the influenza virus.

A

Most of the worst epidemics/ pandemics through human history have been due to influenza.
1918-19 1/3 of the world’s population (500 million people) became infected within 6 months 20-100 million dead worldwide. CFR > 4% which was quite deadly (normally 0.1 % for flu)

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15
Q

Describe the impact of the AIDS epidemic

A

78 million people infected between 1981 and 2015 39 million dead by 2015.

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16
Q

Describe the impact of Polio

A

60,000 dead in the US alone in 1952 alone. 23 million total fatalities.

17
Q

Describe the impact of the COVID pandemic

A

614 million cases, 6.5 million dead, USA 96 million/ 1 million

18
Q

Describe the impact of the Spanish Flu

A

20-100 million or more people died worldwide 1919 world pop - 1.6 billion, 50 million deaths = 3% of world’s population.

19
Q

The first ever vaccine was in response to the ___ (1978).

A

smallpox outbreak

20
Q

What is the only human disease ever completely eradicated from the planet?

A

Smallpox, last known case is 1977

21
Q

Describe the impact of SARS 1

A

Acute and higher mortality rate though not super contagious
Only 8,096 known cases of the disease
BUT 774 deaths (an average mortality rate of 9.6%).