Viral Pathogenesis I & II Flashcards
What is the primary method of virus detection from a patient sample (especially acute virus infections)?
Why is it used over other tests?
1) PCR for viral nucleic acids
2) Good sensitivity, specificity, & quick turn around time
Other methods for detection of a viral infection:
For Review
1 - Don’t worry about it! Exclude bacterial infection and support symptoms
2 - Detection by virus-induced changes in cellular morphology or evidence of cell killing (pathologists)
3 - Detect virus antigen(s) in sample by antibodies: ELISA, Western blot, Immunostaining of histology slides
4 - Electron microscopy
5 - PCR for viral nucleic acids
Methods 2-5 can be used directly on tissue, swab, blood, or exudate samples or can be done after the virus is replicated in tissue culture
6 - Detection of antibodies against the virus (serological tests): ELISA (indirect), Western blot
What type of infection is serological testing (detection of antibodies against the virus) useful for identifying? Acute or chronic?
Chronic
It is not useful for acute infections since a minimum of 2-16 weeks is needed for generating antibodies
What viral infections is serological testing useful for as an initial diagnostic tool?
Chronic viral infections such as HIV, Hepatitis C, CMV, or Hepatitis B
Between qualitative and quantitative (RT) PCR:
What steps are similar?
What steps are the same?
These steps are the same:
1 - If RNA virus, convert RNA to DNA with reverse transcriptase and primer
2 - Amplify DNA with specific primers for virus of interest (usually for 35/40 cycles)
This step differs:
Qualitative - 3 - run samples on an agarose gel with a molecular weight marker to verify presence of band and correct size of band
Quantitative - 3 - Production of amplified DNA product is detected by either a fluorescent reporter probe or fluorescent dye that intercalates between DNA
What are the major (2) causes of cell and tissue damage? Is all the damage done by the virus?
The major causes of damage are by the virus itself & the host defense functions, so no only part of the damage is done by the virus, itself. Either of these can alone cause damage, or they can both be at work
How do the two causes of cell and tissue damage correlate with the viral load?
- Virus replication - severity of disease directly correlates with quantities of virus produced
- Killing of infected cells, usually by T cell response, may not be highly correlated with level of virus replication or quantitatively
What is viremia?
Circulating virus in the blood
What is the pattern of infection and symptoms in an acute infection?
A high level of viral load correlates with symptoms. Then, the virus is cleared and symptoms will either resolve or may also manifest after drop in virus titers if too robust of an immune response is partly responsible for symptoms
What is an example of a virus that causes an acute infection?
Influenza virus
What is the pattern of infection and symptoms in an acute infection followed by latent infection with subsequent reactivation?
An acute infection (with symptoms) is followed by latency where there are no symptoms and no viral load. Then, a weakened immune system brings on a reactivation of infection with symptoms.
What is an example of a virus that causes an acute infection followed by latent infection with subsequent reactivation?
All herpes viruses
What is the pattern of infection and symptoms in an acute infection followed by chronic infection?
An acute infection (with symptoms) is followed by a consistent low level of virus where symptoms are seen later in the chronic infection
(severity does not always correlate with viral load)
What is an example of a virus that causes an acute infection followed by chronic infection?
HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C
What is the pattern of infection and symptoms in a slow chronic infection?
Slow build in viral load from very tiny levels with symptoms seen later in the chronic infection (after years)
What is an example of a virus that causes a slow chronic infection?
Not a virus - prions
What is the pattern of infection and symptoms in an immortalizing infection?
An acute infection without symptoms followed by either a chronic/persistent level of virus or only portions of the viral genome present. Symptoms present months to years later when malignancy occurs
What is an example of a virus that causes an immortalizing infection?
HPV
What is the pattern of infection and symptoms with a change in location of infection?
Early acute phase with no symptoms, then very low levels. Within days viral load increases significantly in a new location with the first occurrence of symptoms. Then, a latency period of months to years followed by reactivation with symptoms
What is an example of a virus that follows that pattern of latency and reactivation with a change in location of infection?
Varicella zoster (a herpes virus)
What is the pattern of infection and symptoms with varicella zoster?
Infection of respiratory mucosa with primary site of replication (respiratory epithelium, draining lymph nodes) -> primary viremia (at ~5 days)
Then, virus seeds other organs (spleen, liver, kidney, etc) -> secondary viremia (at ~12 days) with higher viral load and symptoms
Then, virus replicates in the target tissue (skin) and characteristic disease with rash occurs (at ~15 days)
After acute infection subsides, virus goes into latency in neural ganglia with no detectable virus replication
Years later virus is reactivated and infects epithelial cells along the dermatome of the neural ganglia
The virus can again become latent and reactivate
What is the iceberg concept of outcome of exposure to virus?
Most exposure to virus does not result in disease at all. Severe disease and death are relatively rare consequences of viral infection Most prevalent to least: Exposure without infection Infection without illness Mild disease Severe disease Death
What viruses are examples of the iceberg concept of disease outcomes?
Poliovirus, West Nile virus
What viruses exclusively infect humans and solely circulate in the human population?
Smallpox, polio, HIV
What viruses have broader species tropism with animal reservoirs but once introduced into a human population can spread person to person?
Influenza (animal reservoir - ducks), new Ebola virus outbreak (animal reservoir - bats)
What viruses have a significant human reservoir, but transmission NEVER occurs human to human but always thru a vector such as a mosquito?
Dengue virus, Yellow fever virus
What viruses are almost exclusively found in an animal or insect vector reservoirs and human infections are incidental. Little to no human to human transmission occurs nor are titers in humans high enough that there is transmission back to the vector?
West Nile virus, rabies virus
What is an example of a virus that becomes a systemic infections (circulate in bloodstream)?
Ebola virus (can be transmitted via open sores in skin, direct blood transmission, GI, respiratory, hand to eye but regardless of route of transmission, becomes systemic infection)
What are examples of viruses that remain limited to one organ system?
HPV only infects epithelial cells, limiting infection to the skin and/or mucosal epithelium
Influenza infection is limited to the respiratory tract (in humans)
What are the 3 most common routes (portals) of entry of a virus?
Upper respiratory tract
Oral
Sexual contact
What are the less common routes (portals) of entry of a virus?
(For review)
Fomites (clothes, tissues, etc) Blood transfusion Tissue transplant Zoonoses Maternal/neonatal
How does the viral structure (enveloped vs naked) affect the route of entry/transmission?
Enveloped viruses are sensitive to drying & may require close contact, body fluid, or droplet transmission
Naked viruses are more stable & may be picked up or ingested from surfaces. Many survive passage thru the stomach
What are the determinants of cell or tissue tropism of a virus?
1 - VAP-receptor interactions (presence of receptor on cells)
2 - Cellular permissiveness: stage of differentiation, mitotic activity, transcriptional permissivity
3 - Cellular restriction: type 1 interferon responses, viral restriction factors