Mechanisms Of Viral Infection And Pathogenesis Flashcards
In recurrance of herpes simplex and VZV (varicella zoster virus), an immune insult would cause what?
In recurrance of herpes simplex and VZV (varicella zoster virus), an immune insult such as sunlight to face, menstruation, a cold, radiation etc. would cause the virus to activate and move down the peripheral neurones to specific tissues
Name some common viral dieseases and 2 that are now (mostly) extinct due to vaccinations
Explain why most viruses that surround us do not infect us (4)
- They are adapted to non-human hosts
- They are excluded by surface barriers
- Innate immunity prevents them
- Adaptive immune system has seen something similar
Which virus is the most common cause of child respiratory infection hospitalisations ?
RSV
What are the types of viral infection?
- Acute
- Chronic
What is meant by an acute viral infection?
A viral infection that is resolved by the immune system (so you recover or it kills you)
What are the two options for acute infection resolution?
Either kills you or you get better
What are the types of chronic viral infection?
- Latent, reactivating infection
- Persistent infection
Describe what a latent, reactivating infection is
- Infection is resolved and then later in life there will be recurrances of the same infection with or without symptoms (shown by the red = symptoms, black line = viral load)
What is viremia?
the presence of viruses in the blood
Name a very common example of virus type that causes latent reactivating infections
Human Herpes Viruses
- Remember that Epstein barr virus is one as well as varicella
How many human herpes viruses are there?
8 (HHV-1 → HHV-8)
What are the subtypes of herpesvirus?
- Herpes simplex 1 and 2
- Varicella zoster
- Epstein Barr virus
- Cytomegalovirus
- Human herpes virus 6-8
What is another name for HHV-8?
Kaposi sarcoma-associated virus (in 2-3% of people)
What is another name for HHV-1?
Herpes simplex
What is primary gingivostomamtitis?
- A rash caused by HHV-1 (herpes simplex) in children
- Can reappear in adulthood in a different form
Explain/why how HHV-1 reappears in adulthood
HHV-1 (herpes simplex) has a primary infection (as a rash) in childhood then reappears in adulthood but is limited by the immune system to a few sites = cold sores
What is another name for HHV-3?
Chickenpox or varicella zoster virus
Where does herpes simplex and VZ-virus migrate into on primary infection?
- Sensory neurones dorsal root ganglions (immunoprivilaged site) - here they switch off most gene expression to prevent few proteins = not very antigenic
What is shingles?
Virus incubated in the spinal cord
Describe what persistant infection is
An early wave of viremia but the virus levels do not go down, they stay up
What type of infection do HIV, HCV (hep C) and Measles all cause?
Persistant infection but it is different to the other one discussed as viral levels are kept very low until end of life when the IS can no longer keep up so it increases - so there is not a constant high viral load after initial viraemia
What are some examples of persistent infection?
- AIDS
- HCV
- Measles
What type of infection does congenital rubella cause and explain how this is?
Persistant - this is when it infects the baby in utero before the 2nd trimster so the baby does not have an active immune system and it replicates, then when it develops IS it recognises rubella as self material and so the baby is born immunotolerant to rubella
Why is congenital rubella slightly different to a normal persistent infection?
Persistently high viral load