the structure of viruses Flashcards
what kind of cells are viruses ?
viruses are A-cellular
what does acellular mean ?
not made out of cells
what are virus particles not ?
they are not alive
why are viruses not alive ?
because they do not carry out life processes
what do we say viruses are ?
obligate intracellular parasites
what kind of disease is HIV primarily ?
HIV is primarily a sexually transmitted disease
how can HIV also be contracted ?
by sharing contaminated needles
what happens during the initial period of infection of HIV?
HIV particles replicate rapidly
what are the symptoms of HIV ?
flu like symptoms
what happens to the replication of HIV after the initial infection ?
HIV replication will be slow for about 10 years
what will happen to the patient after about 10 years ?
the patient would die from a secondary infection
why would the patient die from a secondary infection ?
because they are immunocompromised
because HIV and AIDS can be treated, what do we call the infection ?
a chronic infection
why can antibiotics not be used to treat HIV ?
because antibiotics only treat bacteria
what is used to target viruses ?
Anti-viral drugs
how can HIV also be passed on ?
it can be passed on from mother to child during childbirth due to the exposure of blood
what are the enzymes called in a virus ?
reverse transcriptase
what does reverse transcriptase do ?
convert RNA into complementary DNA
what is the capsid made out of ?
protein
what is the function of the capsid ?
it protects the genome
what are the spikes on a virus called ?
attatchment proteins / glyco-protein spike
what is the function of the viral genome ?
it contains genes (the RNA in HIV )
how big is a HIV particle in size ?
100 nanometres
what is the outer layer of a HIV particle called ?
lipid envelope from a cell
