Bacteria & Viruses

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

DO NOW:
What are the characteristics
of viruses? Bacteria? What
kingdom do each of these
belong? Are they living?
Why or why not?

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

What do you already know?

What are the differences between

viruses and bacteria?

Are all bacteria harmful?
When you get a cold, should you
take an antibiotic to help you get
better?
Whats the best and easiest thing
to do to avoid getting sick?
Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Bacteria
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria
Bacteria are prokaryotic, unicellular

organisms containing DNA and ribosomes.

Bacteria have ALL the characteristics of living
things.
Bacteria have the greatest percentage of the
biomass on Earth!

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Bacterial Structure
Basic structure of bacteria:

Peptidoglyca
n*

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Cell
Riboso
Cell
wal membra me
ne
l

Flagellu
m

DNA Pili

Bacterial Structure
Bacteria have three distinct shapes:

spherical
(cocci)

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

rod-shaped
(bacilli)

spiral
(spirilla)

Bacteria
Bacteria have a variety of important uses:
Help make interesting food (buttermilk, yogurt, cheese,

sauerkraut, pickles, and olives, etc)

Decompose organic matter (recycle nutrients from dead
organisms; break down sewage into simpler compounds)
Nitrogen fixation (chemically changes nitrogen gas, N2,
into ammonia, NH3, so plants can make amino acids)
Human health (bacteria on skin help prevent infection &
bacteria in gut helps digest food & make vitamins)
Biotechnology (used to make antibiotics, insulin, human
growth hormone, vitamins, and other drugs)

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

How Do Pathogenic Bacteria

Work?

Bacteria produce disease in one of two ways:

Using cells for food: The bacteria break

down healthy cells for food, destroying

tissues
Releasing toxins: The bacteria produce a
toxin (poisonous protein) that is released into
the bloodstream where it can travel
throughout the body, disrupting normal
activity and damaging tissues

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Bacteria
A rather vocal minority (less than 1%) of

bacteria cause disease in humans, animals, and

plants.
Bacteria can cause a variety of diseases:
Food Poisoning
Scarlet Fever
Tuberculosis
Whooping Cough
Cholera
Bacterial Meningitis
Syphilis
Pneumonia
Ulcers
Leprosy
Strep Throat
Tetanus
Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

VIDEO CLIP:
Understandin
g Bacteria

http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=yToii3-p-NI

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Viruses
Virology is the study of viruses
Viruses are biological entities containing
either DNA or RNA that require another
cell to survive.
Viruses have some, but not all, of the
characteristics of life.
*So are viruses living or non-living?*
Viruses seem to exist only to make more
viruses!
Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Viral Structure
All viruses have the same basic structure:
Capsid
(Protein
coat)

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Nucleic
acid
core
(DNA or
RNA)

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

How Do Viruses Work?

In order to replicate and make copies of itself,
viruses need a host cell. Any living cell can
become a host cell (human, animal, plant, and even
bacterial cells!)
Without a host cell, viruses cannot function (i.e.are harmless!)
Although any cell can theoretically become a host
cell, specific viruses will only infect specific cells
(EX: HIV will only infect human T cells, a part of your
immune system)
Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

How Do Viruses Work?

Attach: The capsid of the virus binds to receptor proteins
on the surface of a host cell, tricking the host cell into
thinking its not a foreign invader.
Inject: The virus then injects its genetic material (DNA or
RNA) into the host cell.
Assemble: The viral genes are expressed, turning the
host cell into a virus-making factory.
Repeat: The host cell eventually bursts, releasing the
hundreds of newly formed viruses to infect surrounding
cells!
VIDEO CLIP:
How Viruses
Work
Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

lysogenic cycle is a viral replication cycle

in which the virus's nucleic acid is
integrated into the host cell's
chromosome, a provirus is formed and
replicated each time the host cell
reproduces, the host cell is not killed until
the cycle is activated. At this time the
virus remains quiet for a very long time
and it is said to be hidden.
lytic cycle is a viral replication cycle in
which a virus takes over a host cell's
genetic material and uses the host cell's
structures and energy to replicate until the
host cell bursts, killing it. This cycle kills

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Viruses
Viruses can cause disease in humans, animals, plants,

and even bacteria!

Viruses can cause a variety of diseases:
Common cold
Hepatitis A, B & C
Herpes
Mononucleosis
Warts
Chickenpox

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Polio
Influenza
Mumps
Measles
Viral Meningitis
AIDS

VIDEO CLIP:
Viral Disease

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Protection
There are a few big ways to protect yourself

against pathogens (disease causing agents)

Antibiotics (drugs to kill bacteria)
Antivirals (drugs to treat viruses)
Vaccination (using your bodys own immune

system to preemptively guard against attack)

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Antibiotics
Antibiotics can only be used to treat bacterial

infections!
Target specific structures on bacteria to kill them.
First made from a fungus (penicillin), now most
are made artificially.
Unfortunately, antibiotic resistance (where the
antibiotic doesnt kill the target bacteria anymore)
is becoming a major problem.

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Antivirals
Antivirals can only be used to treat certain viral

infections!
Does not kill or disarm the virus permanently; only
shortens symptoms by 1-2 days.
Usually only prescribed to patients with life
threatening symptoms or those that have a greater
chance of developing complications (because of their
age or they have a high-risk medical condition).
Just like antibiotics, there is evidence of antiviral
resistance too!

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Vaccination
Vaccines can only be used to prevent infections

(both viral and bacterial) from leading to disease.

Trick your immune system to make antibodies
that destroy foreign bodies or particles (such as
bacteria and viruses). Your body remembers how to
make these antibodies when the real thing invades.
Made from a weakened virus, inactivated virus, or
by using only part of the virus/bacteria itself.
VIDEO CLIP:
Vaccination

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

To Review....
What are the differences between viruses

and bacteria?
Are all bacteria harmful? Explain.
When you get a cold, should you take an
antibiotic to help you get better? Why?
Whats the best and easiest thing to do to
avoid getting sick?

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=3xRttWuf3wQ

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School

Bacteria

Virus
Bot
h

Biology

Science Department
Deerfield High School