Viruses

then and now

Week 1, Session 3
Virology I: How viruses work
Prof. V. Racaniello

How old are viruses?

Es@mates of molecular evolu@on place some viruses

among the dinosaurs

Likely evolved much earlier

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Ancient references to viral diseases

700 B.C.

1580-1350 B.C.
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Preven@on of virus infec@ons in prac@ce

since the 11th century without knowledge
of agent

Survivors of smallpox protected against

disease

Variola'on - inocula@on of healthy

individuals with material from a smallpox
pustule (Lady Montagu)

1790s - experiments by Edward Jenner in

England establish vaccina6on
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Concept of microorganisms

Leeuwenhoek (1632 - 1723)

Pasteur (1822 - 1895)
Koch (1843-1910)

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Virus discovery - lterable agents

1892 - Ivanovsky

virus: slimy liquid, poison

1898 - Beijerinck: contagium

vivum uidum

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Virus discovery

1898 - Loeer & Frosch - agent of foot &

mouth disease is lterable

Key concept: agents not only small, but

replicate only in the host, not in broth

0.2 micron lters (m, one millionth of a

meter)

Virus discovery

1901 - rst human virus, yellow

fever virus

1903 - rabies virus

1911 - Rous sarcoma virus

1906 - variola virus

1908 - chicken leukemia virus,
poliovirus
1915 - bacteriophages
1933 - inuenza virus
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We know many details about viruses

Chemical formula for poliovirus:

C332,652 H492,388 N98,245 O131,196
P7,501 S2,340
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Virus classica6on

Nature and sequence of nucleic acid in virion

Symmetry of protein shell (capsid)
Presence or absence of lipid membrane (envelope)
Dimensions of virion & capsid

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Virus classica6on
Classical hierarchical system:
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order (-virales)
Family (-viridae)

Filoviridae (lovirus family)

Genus (-virus)

Ebolavirus

Species

Zaire ebolavirus
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ICTV

40,000 virus isolates from bacteria, plants, animals

placed in 6 orders, 87 families, 349 genera, 2284
species.

BUT - there are 1030 virions in the oceans!

hjp://ictvonline.org/
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Analyzed DNA from Lake Limnopolar, Antarc@ca.

Found 10,000 species, from 12 dierent families,
some completely new.
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Raw sewage harbors diverse viral popula6ons

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There is an underlying simplicity and

order to viruses because of two simple
facts

All viral genomes are obligate molecular parasites

that can only func@on amer they replicate in a cell

All viruses must make mRNA that can be translated

by host ribosomes: they are all parasites of the host
protein synthesis machinery

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Images from Principles of Virology

2009 American Society for Microbiology
Are used with permission
No further reproduc@on or distribu@on is permijed
without the prior wrijen permission of the
American Society for Microbiology

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