Viruses Flashcards
What are the important properties/differentiations of the viral genome?
- RNA or DNA
- Single-stranded or double stranded
- Linear or circular
- Segmented or not
- If single-stranded
- Positive sense, negative sense, or ambisense
- Size (from 3,500 nt to 280 kbp)
Viral replication requires factors from which sources?
Both the host cell and encoded by the virus
Factors encoded by the virus are typically translated into proteins that are then used in genome replication
(determined by nature of viral genome and where it is delivered to the cell)
What do the most successful antiviral drugs target?
Enzymes/proteins encoded by the virus
What would happen if the cellular processes required for viral replication were inhibited in host cells?
Both infected and uninfected would have essential functions shut off (protein synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis)
This would lead to toxicity
What dictates the strategy of replication utilized by viral families?
Properties of the genome
(Ex: ss(+), ss(-), ds, or retrovirus, shape and segmentation may also play a role)
Virus-cell interactions determine…
- Pathology
- Host response and consequences
- Viral evasion and host responses
- Targets for antiviral therapy
What makes a cell resistant to viral infection?
Lacking receptors for viral entry
What makes a cell susceptible to viral infection?
The cell is suceptile if the virus can enter and either…
- Express genes
- Establish its genome inside cell
What are the four general types of viral infection in a susceptible cell?
- Non-permissive for infection
- Productively infected
- Abortively infected
- Latently infected
What is a productive viral infection?
A full viral replicative cycle occurs and viral progeny are produced
What is an abortive viral infection?
Viral genes are expressed but infectious progeny do not result.
The host cell probably dies
What is a latent viral infection?
- Viral genome is established inside cell
- Some genes are expressed, but virus does not replicate
- Cell remains viable, but some functions may be altered
What consequence to the host cell is productive viral infection associated with?
Cell death
What kind of viral infection spreads the virus to target organs, causes disease, and transmits the disease to other?
Productive viral infection
Productive viral infection is necessary in order for the virus to…
- Generate enough virus to spread to target organs and cause disease
- Transmit disease to others
What are the steps in the productive replicative cycle?
- Attachment
- Penetration
- Uncoating and disassembly
- Transcription
- Translation
- Replication
- Assembly
- Release from cell
What occurs in the assembly stage of the viral productive replicative cycle?
Virus binds to cell surface through interaction of virion proteins w/ existing cell surface receptor
(Some viruses may recognize more than one receptor, allowing use of different receptors on different cell types or alternate routes of entry into a single cell type)
What is required in the penetration stage of the viral productive replicative cycle?
What occurs?
Energy-dependent
- Enveloped viruses
- Fusion of viron envelope with plasma membrane (some)
- Endocytosis
- Fusion with endosome membrane
- Non-enveloped viruses
- Translocation of virus/viral genome across plasma membrane (some)
- Endocytosis
- Translocation across endosome
What is the purpose of the disassembly stage of the viral productive replicative stage?
Genome becomes accessible for…
- Translation, if the viral genome functions first as mRNA
- Transcription, if the viral genome must first be transcribed into mRNA
- Genome replication (later)
Where do most RNA viruses release their genome during the disassembly stage of the viral productive replicative cycle?
Cytoplasm (as ribonucleoprotein)
Where do most DNA viruses release their genome during the disassembly stage of the viral productive replicative cycle?
Nucleus
(May require microtubules or other molecular motors to translocate nucleocapsid from cell periphery to nuclear core)
What is the eclipse/replication stage of the viral productive replicative cycle?
Period during which viral nucleic acids and proteins are being synthesized, but infectious virus cannot be detected in the infected cell
What occurs during the eclipse/replication stage of the viral productive replicative cycle?
- Transcription of viral mRNA
- Synthesis of viral proteins
- Replication of viral genome
When does assembly occur in the viral productive replicative cycle?
Where does it occur?
When progeny viral genomes and viral structural proteins have accumulated to sufficient levels, assembly of the viral genome can occur
Occurs in cell compartment where genome replication occurred (Nucleus for most DNA viruses, cytoplasm for most RNA viruses)
In the viral productive replicative cycle, when are most non-enveloped viruses released from infected cells?
When the cell lyses
In the viral productive replicative cycle, when are most enveloped viruses released from infected cells?
- When they acquire the envelope by budding through plasma membrane
- When they acquire an envelope by budding through an internal cell membrane into a secretory compartment and are secreted from the cell
In a productive viral infection, why is production of a virus usually incompatible with cell survival?
- Cytotoxic effects of viral products
- Including those that give the virus a competitive advantage for cellular biosynthetic machinery
- Induction of innate responses that can result in death of infected cells
- Sometimes cells continually release viruses in addition to being lysed (Hepatitis B infections)
What are some examples of cytotoxic effects of viral products that give the virus a competitive advantage for cellular biosynthetic machinery?
- Poliovirus protease cleaves cell cap-binding protein, inhibiting translation of capped mRNAs (poliovirus is uncapped and efficiently translated due to internal ribosome entry site)
- Herpesvirus protein shuts down splicing of cell mRNAs (most herpesvirus late mRNAs are unspliced)
What are four important characteristics of latent viral infections?
- No viral genome replication except in concert w/ cell division
- Few, if any, viral proteins expressed
- Those expressed can be non-immunogenic - Compatible with cell survival and normal cell functions (some functions may be altered)
- Reservoir for reactivation of infectious virus
What are the two types of single stranded viral genomes?
Positive sense
Negative sense
What is a positive sense single stranded viral RNA?
(How does it interact with the host cell?)
ss(+) RNA viruses are in the same sense as human mRNA and can be immediately translated by the host cell
What is a negative sense single stranded viral RNA?
(How does complare to the host cell?)
ss(-) mRNA is complementary to human mRNA
It must be converted to positive sense RNA by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (encoded by the viral genome) before translation
What converts negative sense single stranded viral RNA to positive sense RNA prior to translation?
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (encoded by the viral genome)
Describe the DNA nomenclature for viruses with ssDNA
Similar to RNA nomenclature
The template strand for viral mRNA is complementary (-) to the ssDNA
The coding strand is a copy of the ssDNA (+)
What are the four characteristics of the genomes of RNA viruses?
- Smaller genome sizes (higher error rate when replicating)
- Maximum upper size limit
- Often exist as quasispecies
- Quasispecies = swarms of viruses of the same species with slightly different genome nucleotide sequence
- Creates a target for natural selection
- Segmented genomes
What is the relationship between genome size and error rate in replication for viral genomes?
Inversely related
(smaller genome associated with higher error rate)
What occurs beyond the maximal upper size limit of RNA virus genomes?
Replication errors render the virus useless or uncompetitive
Which broad group of viruses often exists as quasispecies?
What is a quasispecies?
Why are quasispecies important?
RNA viruses
Swarms of viruses of the same species but with slightly different genome nucleoside sequences
Prime target for natural selection
What are the advantages of segmented genomes?
- Reduce the chance that an error in a single component of the genome will incapacitate the entire genome
- Reassortment confers evolutionary advantages
Why does reassortment of segmented genomes in RNA viruses confer an evolutionary advantage?
Different strains of a virus w/ a segmented genome can shuffle and combine genes and produce progeny viruses that have unique characteristics
What is notable about the genomes of DNA viruses?
(In comparison to RNA viruses)
Larger genome sizes (high fidelity of replication enzymes)
What is the exception to the rule that larger genome sizes of DNA viruses are associated with higher fidelity of replication enzymes?
Single stranded DNA viruses (mutation rates can approach those of ssRNA viruses)
What are the three uses of analysis of viral nucleic acid sequences (viral genomics)?
- Validates original classification
- Permits studies of evolutionary relationships
- Enables rapid classification of newly discovered viruses
Give 2 examples of viral proteins mediating attachment during the attachment stage of the viral productive replicative cycle
- Influenze - hemagglutinin
- HIV - gp120
Give 2 examples of viruses utilizing existing cell surface molecules in the attachment stage of the viral productive replicative cycle
- Influenze - sialic acid oligosaccharides
- HIV - CD4, CXCR4, CCR5
What is it called when enveloped viruses enter the host cell by fusion of their viral envelope with the cell membrane in the attachment stage of the viral productive replicative cycle?
Receptor-mediated endocytosis
What occurs in the replicative cycle of ss(+)RNA viruses such as norovirus?
- ss(+)RNA = mRNA
- ss(+)RNA is ranslation-competent: the ss(+)RNA is translated into a nonfunctional polyprotein by host ribosomes immediately upon entry into cytoplasm
- The polyprotein cleaved into smaller functional proteins by viral protease
What occurs in the replicative cycle of ss(–)RNA viruses such as influenza virus?
- ss(–)RNA is not equivalent to mRNA
- Viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase converts ss(–)RNA to mRNA and genomic ss(+)RNA
- The ss(+)RNA is transcribed by host cell ribosomes in the cytoplasm into a nonfunctional polyprotein
- The polyprotein is cleaved into smaller proteins by viral protease
What do ss(–)RNA viruses use to convert ss(–)RNA to mRNA and genomic ss(+)RNA?
Viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
In the replication cycle of a DNA virus, what do late mRNAs typically encode?
Structural proteins
In the replication cycle of a DNA virus, what do early mRNAs typically encode?
Regulatory proteins and proteins important for DNA replication
What occurs in the replicative cycle of DNA viruses such as adenoviruses and herpesviruses?
- Replicate in the nucleus (expect poxviruses)
- DNA -> mRNA
- Early mRNA: regulatory proteins, proteins important for DNA replication
- Late mRNA: structural proteins
What occurs in the replicative cycle of retroviruses such as HIV?
- ss(+)RNA does not turn into mRNA
- The virus utilizes viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) to convert the ss(+)RNA to dsDNA
- The dsDNA is integrated into host cell genome (provirus)
- Transcription is regulated by the host cell
What do retroviruses use to convert ss(+)RNA to dsDNA?
Viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase)
What are the cellular consequences of viral infection?
- Numerous cellular processes are compromised
- Nucleic acid and protein synthesis
- Maintenance of cytoskeletal architecture
- Preservation of membrane integrity
- Induction of apoptosis
- But many RNA viruses encode proteins that block apoptosis
What is the fate of the host cell after viral infection?
Virus replication usually results in cell death through direct cytotoxic effects of viral products or innate and adaptive host response
Viral replication is compatible with cell survival in absence of adaptive responses for __________ and _________
Viral replication is compatible with cell survival in absence of adaptive responses for retroviruses (such as HIV) and hepadnaviruses (such as HBV)
What are the four possible clinical consequences of viral infection?
- Inapparent infection: acute or persistent without symptoms (JC virus)
- Illness to infection: rapid viral multiplication with extensive cell death (Ebolavirus)
- Illness due to persistent infection: chronic tissue damage (Hep C)
- Cancer: cells become transformed into rapidly dividing cancer cells (HPV)
What is the main purpose of early viral gene expression?
Take over host cell machinery
What is the most important determinant of the type of cells viruses infect?
Surface glycoprotein
(Must have cell surface receptors for the virus)
What is episomal latency?
Extrachromosomal viral genes floating in the cytoplasm or nucleus
Herpesviruses (HSV, EBV, VZV, CMV)
Which family of viruses exhibits episomal latency?
Herpesviruses (HSV, EBV, VZV, CMV)
What is proviral latency?
Viral genome integrated into DNA of host cell (provirus)
Ex: HIV
Which virus exhibits proviral latency?
HIV
What are the four general characteristics of most DNA viruses?
- dsDNA
- Linear
- Icosahedral
- Replicate in the nucleus
What are the four general characteristics of most RNA viruses?
- ssRNA
- Replicate in cytoplasm
- Smaller genome
- Haploid
- An epidemic of gastroenteritis is traced to a malfunction at a local water treatment plant. A viral pathogen is identified. What can you likely predict about this virus?
It is likely a non-enveloped virus
What does enveloped and non-enveloped mean?
Enveloped indicates an outer layer composed of a lipid bilayer and proteins derived from the host cell outer membrane or internal membranes and includes some glycoproteins
Non-enveloped means the outer surface of the virus is composed of a viral capsid
What is the utility of a viral envelope?
The envelope may help viruses bind to host cells and avoid the host immune response
What is generally true about the survival of enveloped viruses?
The lipid bilayer of an enveloped virus is relatively sensitive to dessication, heat, and detergents, so these viruses are easier to sterilize than non-enveloped viruses, have limited survival outside host environments, and typically must transfer directly from host to host
What is generally true about the survival of noneveloped viruses?
Nonenveloped viruses are resistant to heat, dessication, and survive well in the environment
What are the possible consequences to the cell of viral infections?
Usually cell death, sometimes cell survival and either abortive, chronic, or latent infection
What is the most common viral infective agent in humans?
Rhinovirus
Human rhinovirus is a [family, genetic material/sense, shape, portion of virus]
Human rhinovirus is a picornavirus that has (+)ssRNA and an icosahedral capsid
How is rhinovirus transmitted?
- Aerosols of respiratory droplets and from fomites (contaminated surfaces) including direct person-to-person contact
What is notable about the incubation period of rhinovirus?
Short incubation period (1-4 days)
The onset of infection by rhinovirus is [speed]
The onset of infection by rhinovirus is rapid
How does rhinovirus cause rapid onset of infection?
- Rhinovirus adheres to surface receptors within 15 minutes of entering respiratory tract
- Binds to ICAM-1 receptors on respiratory epithelial cells -> infected cells release cytokines and chemokines -> activate inflammatory mediators -> upper respiratory epithelial cell lysis
What is the optimal temperature for replication of rhinovirus?
Where is this temperature found?
32oC
Nose and large airways
Why does rhinovirus rarely cause lower respiratory tract disease?
Rhinovirus replicates poorly at 37oC
(prefers lower temperature found in nose and large airways)
How many serotypes of rhinovirus are there?
What is notable about the serotypes of rhinovirus?
150 serotypes
Little or no serologic cross-reactivity among different serotypes
How does the host respond to rhinovirus?
Antibody response to exterior epitopes of VP1-VP3
Which part of rhinovirus is highly conserved?
Why is this potentially useful?
VP4 protein
Potential vaccine target
Human Metapneumovirus is [family, genetic material/sense]
Human Metapneumovirus is a member of the pneumoviridae family and uses (–)ssRNA
Human metapneumovirus may be the _____ most common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in young children (after RSV) and causes a _____ severe disease than RSV
Human metapneumovirus may be the second most common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in young children (after RSV) and causes a less severe disease than RSV
How is human metapneumovirus diagnosed?
RT-PCR
What is the treatment for human metapneumovirus?
What is the vaccine for human metapneumovirus?
There is no treatment and no vaccine for human metapneumovirus
Human coronavirus is [envelope status, genetic material/sense, shape, structure]
Human coronavirus is an enveloped (+)ssRNA virus that has a helical nucleocapsid
What illnesses does human coronavirus cause?
Common cold, bronchitis, pneumonia
What are the novel coronaviruses?
SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV
Human parainfluenza virus is a [family, genetic material/sense]
Human parainfluenza virus is a paramyxovirus that has (–)ssRNA
What are the subtypes of human parainfluenza virus?
- PIV-1: croup
- PIV-2: croup
- PIV-3L bronchiolitis and pneumonia especially in young kids
- PIV-4: asymptomatic/mild infection
How is human parainfluenza virus spread?
Person-to-person by contact with infected secretions through respiratory droplets or contaminated surfaces or objects
What is the principal host defense against human parainfluenza virus?
Humoral immunity
How is human parainfluenza virus diagnosed?
PCR
Who is the mortality risk from human parainfluenza virus limited to?
- Very young children
- Elderly
- Immunocompromised
Human adenovirus is [envelope status, genetic material/sense]
Human adenovirus is a nonenveloped dsDNA virus
What allows prolonged survival of human adenovirus outside the body?
Human adenovirus is unusually stable to chemical or physical agents and adverse pH conditions
What illnesses does human adenovirus cause?
URI, pneumonia, conjunctivitis, tonsilitis, croup, gastroenteritis, cystitis, meningitis, encephalitis
What is the treatment for human adenovirus?
What is the vaccine for human adenovirus?
Treatment (cidofovir, brincidofovir) of limited efficacy
No vaccine
Measles virus is a [family, genetic material/sense, size, number of genes encoded]
Measles virus is a paramyxovirus that has (-)ssRNA, is 15-19kb, and encodes 6-10 genes
How is measles virus spread?
Respiratory droplets
What is about notable the spread of measles virus?
Measles virus is extremely contagious
What are the symptoms of measles virus?
- Fever
- Cough
- Coryza
- Conjunctivitis
- Koplick’s spots
- Morbilliform rash
Describe the progression of the rash caused by measles virus
Rash appears several days after fever
Appears first on the head then moves across the body
What virus causes Koplick’s spots?
What are Koplick’s spots?
Measles virus
Red cheek with white upper fleck inside the cheek opposite the first upper molar (buccal mucosa)
What are the three c’s of measles virus infection?
- Cough
- Coryza
- Conjunctivitis
Complications of measles are common and most severe in ____. They include ___, ____, ____, and _____
Complications with measles are common and most severe in adults
They include diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis (SSPE: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis), and corneal ulceration leading to corneal ulceration and blindness
What is the antiviral treatment for measles virus?
No antiviral treatment for measles virus
Measles is a leading cause of death among _____
Measles is a leading cause of death among young children
Human mumps virus is a [family]
Human mumps virus is a paramyxovirus
What is the clinical presentation of human mumps virus?
Human mumps virus presents with parotitis, orchitis, meningitis/encephalitis (rare)
How is human mumps virus treated?
No antiviral treatment for human mumps virus
How is human mumps virus diagnosed?
- Viral culture
- RT-PCR
- Serology (positive IgM ELISE or 4-fold rise in IgG)
Rubella is [family, genetic material/sense, envelope status, shape]
Rubella is a togavirus that has (+)ssRNA and an enveloped icosahedral capsid
What is the clinical presentation of rubella?
- Usually mild and subclinical
- Low grade fever
- Rash appearing first on face then moving across body
- Congenital rubella syndrome in neonates (cardiac, cerebral, ophthalmic, auditory defects)
Does rubella still exist in the U.S.?
No, rubella was eliminated from the U.S. in 2004
What is the treatment for rubella?
No antiviral treatment for rubella
Why is rhinovirus an uncommon cause of severe pneumonia?
Rhinovirus replicates poorly at core body temperatures
A 28 year old male visiting from Switzerland presents with fever, rash, and small white spots on an erythematous background on his buccal mucosa. What diagnosis would you suspect?
Measles
A 25 year old pregnant woman presents with fever and joint pains. Serum parvovirus PCR is positive. What complication should she be monitored for?
Hydrops fetalis
A 6 week old presents with fever, cough, and wheezing. The baby’s mother reports baby is feeding poorly and seems to stop breathing at times.
What is the most likely cause of this illness?
What test can confirm the diagnosis?
What treatment is indicated?
RSV (most common cause of lower respiratory tract in children <1 years of age)
RT-PCR on respiratory secretions (rapid antigen tests are a reasonable alternative but false negative test results may occur)
Therapy is primarily supportive
Compare the sizes of DNA and RNA viral genomes
RNA viruses are usually smaller
DNA viruses are usually larger
How are enveloped viruses typically transmitted?
Respiratory, parenteral, sexual routes
How are non-enveloped viruses typically transmitted?
Fecal-oral route
Viruses that can be transmitted through contaminated water are typically non-enveloped
Virus X can survive for up to 2 days on plastic or metal surfaces;
Based on this description, do you think virus X is enveloped or non-enveloped?
Non-enveloped
Non-enveloped viruses are more resistant to environmental dessication (like what would occur after 2 days on a plastic surface)
List the 5 major types of viruses
- Orthomyxovirus
- Picornavirus
- Hepadnavirus
- Poxvirus
- Retrovirus
Describe the capsid and envelope of:
Orthomyxovirus
Helical capsic
Enveloped
Describe the capsid and envelope of:
Picornavirus
Icosahedral capsid
Non-enveloped
(also small)
Describe the capsid and envelope of:
Hepadnavirus
Helical (spheres and filaments)
Enveloped
Describe the capsid and envelope of:
Poxvirus
Complex capsid (brick-shaped)
Enveloped
Describe the capsid and envelope of:
Retroviruses
Icosahedral
Enveloped
What advantages and disadvantages do envelopes confer to virons?
- Advantages
- Greater ability to evade the host immune system
- Can change quickly to evade the host immune system
- Disadvantages
- Susceptible to dessication in the environment
- Typically must be transmitted via direct contace
Suppose you know that a virus has helical symmetry
What is the likely makeup of the viral genome?
ssRNA
In a helical capsid, what determines the pitch, diameter, and rigidity of the helix?
What determines length?
Sizes of protein subunits and subunit interactions determine the pitch, diameter, and rigidity of the helix
Size of the viral RNA determines the length
What are the 3 major types of viral structures?
Icosahedral (nearly spherical)
Helical
Complex
What are the 3 major types of viral structures?
Icosahedral (nearly spherical)
Helical
Complex
Describe antigenic drift
- Minor changes due to single mutations
- Occurs in influenza A and influenza B
- Causes epidemics
- Associated with seasonal influenza
Describe antigenic shift
- Major changes due to gene re-assortment
- Only occurs in influenza A
- Creates new H and/or N combinations
- Causes pandemics
- Ex: H1N1 = re-assortment of 5 different flu viruses, incuding, human, avian, and swine
Describe Mumps
- Type of virus:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Mumps
- Type of virus: Paramyxovirus (close relative of measles
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(-)RNA
Describe Measles
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Measles
- Type of virus: Paramyxovirus
- Capsid: Helical
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(-)RNA
Describe Parvovirus B19
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Describe Parvovirus B19
- Type of virus: Parvoviridae
- Capsid: Icosahedral
- Envelope: Non-enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ssDNA
Describe Influenza Virus
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Influenza Virus
- Type of virus: Orthomyxovirus
- Capsid: Helical nucleocapsid
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: (-)ssRNA (segmented)
Describe Adenovirus
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Adenovirus
- Capsid: Icosahedral
- Envelope: Non-enveloped
- Nucleic acid: dsDNA
Describe Coronavirus (CoV or HCoV)
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Coronavirus (CoV or HCoV)
- Capsid: Helical
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(+)RNA
Describe Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV)
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV)
- Type of virus: Pneumoviridae
- Capsid: Helical
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(-)RNA
Describe Respiratory Syncytial Virus (HRSV)
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (HRSV)
- Type of virus: Paramyxovirus
- Capsid: Helical
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(-)RNA
Describe Parainfluenza Virus (PIV or HPIV)
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Paranfluenza Virus
- Type of virus: Paramyxovirus
- Capsid: Helical
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(-)RNA
Describe Rhinovirus (HRV)
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Rhinovirus
- Type of virus: Picornavirus
- Capsid: Icosahedral
- Envelope: Non-enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(+)RNA
Describe Influenza Virus
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Influenza Virus
- Type of virus: orthomyxovirus
- Capsid: Helical tube
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(-)RNA; segmented
What are the 5 major targets for antiviral therapy?
- Entry
- Replication
- Proviral integration into the host cell dsDNA
- Polyprotein processing
- Release
Describe Rubella
- Type of virus:
- Capsid:
- Envelope:
- Nucleic acid:
Rubella
- Type of virus: Togavirus
- Capsid: Icosahedral
- Envelope: Enveloped
- Nucleic acid: ss(+)RNA
In general, DNA viruses are…
- Single or double stranded?
- Circular or linear?
- Icosahedral or helical?
- Replicated in…?
In general, DNA viruses are…
- dsDNA
- Linear
- Icosahedral
- Replicated in the nucleus
Which virus is the exception to the rule “All DNA viruses are double stranded?”
Parvovirus
(ssDNA)
Which viruses are the exceptions to the rule “All DNA viruses are linear”
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Polyomavirus
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)
Which virus is the exception to the rule “All DNA viruses are icosahedral?”
Poxvirus
Which virus is the exception to the rule “All DNA viruses are replicated in the nucleus?”
Poxvirus
Which influenza virus (A or B) has greater diversity?
Why?
Influenza A
- Influenza A has many subtypes defined by hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA)
- There are 18 HAs and 11 NAs
- The viral RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase lacks proofreading
- Subject to mutation and therefore evolution
- 8 gene segments encode 10 viral proteins
- Segments are subject to reassortment
Which influenza virus is associated with pandemics?
Why?
Influenza A
- Undergoes re-assortment, often of human and avian influenza
- Other types alos possible
- This cause a virus that…
- The vast majority of the world has no immunity to
- Has a reservoir in non-human hosts in which antigenic variation can occur
Why is influenza B associated with epidemics but not pandemics?
Influenza B has no subtype variation; it cannot undergo re-assortment that would cause vastly different phenotypes
- Influenza B does not undergo antigenic shift
- Influenza B does undergo antigenic drift
- These small changes are implicated in the different strains of seasonal flu that are seen every year
- These are epidemics
Describe the clinical manifestations of influenza
- Fever
- Chills
- Cough
- Nasal congestion
- Myalgia
- Headache
How is influenza diagnosed?
Rapid antigen test
or
PCR