Virology Flashcards
What is a virus?
Infection in all living organisms
Needs host
Not prokaryotes or eukaryotes
Why are viruses important?
Important agents of disease
Vaccine development
Virotherapy
What is the viral structure?
No organelles
Glycoprotein projections
Lipid envelope
Capsomeres
Nucleocapsid
Capsid, protein coat
Genome linear/circular
Nucleic acid genome wrapped in protein coat
What is the function of the capsid?
Stabilise and protection of nucleic acid
What is the function of capsomere?
Structural sub-units of capsid
What is the function of the nucleocapsid?
Capsid and nuclei acid
What is the function of the envelope and peplomers?
Envelope: lipoprotein membrane, antigenic
Peplomers: glycoprotein spikes, attachment
Explain the viral genome
Only contain one nucleic acid - RNA/DNA
Can be ss or ds, linear or circular
Explain the transcription of NA in virus
Transcribed in different ways (forward, backward, overlapping)-> precursor products-> proteins
What are the types of shapes of viruses?
Helical, Icosahedral, Bacteriophages
What are the stages viral replication?
Attachment, Penetration, Uncoating, Replication, Assembly, Release
What are types of transmission?
Direct transmission, vector (arthropods), accidental
What is incubation perdiod?
Time from initial exposure to virus to effective replication and spread to host cells, causing signs and symptoms of disease
What is pathogenesis?
Interaction between host and virus -> disease
Disease severity differs depending on organism
