Introduction

to
viruses
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CHARACTERISTICS OF VIRUSES

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 Definition of a Virus
Obligate

Intracellular

Parasite
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 Definition of a Virus
Sub microscopic entity consisting
of a single nucleic acid surrounded
by a protein coat and capable of
replication only within the living
cells of bacteria, animals or
plants.
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 Are Viruses Living or Non-
living?

Biologists consider viruses to be non-living because:

Are not cells
Do not grow or respond to their
surroundings
Cannot make food, take in food, or produce
wastes
Viruses do not respond to stimuli.
They can only multiply if in another living cell
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 What are Viruses?
Definition-

Viruses are noncellular

particles made up of
genetic material and
protein that can invade
living cells.

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 Discovery of Viruses

Beijerinck (1897)
coined the Latin name
virus meaning poison

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 Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Wendell Stanley
(1935) discovered
viruses were made of
nucleic acid and protein

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 Smallpox

Edward Jenner (1796)

developed a smallpox
vaccine using milder
cowpox viruses
Smallpox has been
eradicated in the world
today

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 How Big is a Virus?

Viruses are very small smaller than

the smallest cell.

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 Characteristics

Non living structures

Non-cellular
Contain a protein coat called the capsid
Have a nucleic acid core containing DNA
or RNA (one or the other - not both)
Capable of reproducing only when inside
a HOST cell

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 Characteristics
CAPSID

Some viruses are

DNA

enclosed in an
protective envelope
Some viruses may have
spikes to help attach
to the host cell
Most viruses infect
only SPECIFIC host ENVELOPE SPIKE
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 HIV VIRUS EBOLA VIRUS

Characteristics
Outside of host cells,
viruses are inactive
Viruses cause many
common illnesses/
diseases
Some viruses may cause
some cancers like
leukemia
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MEASLES
 Characteristics

Viruses cause many common

illnesses diseases

Some viruses may cause some

cancers like leukemia

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 Virion Structure
Lipid Envelope Nucleic Acid

Protein
Capsid

Virion
Associated
Spike
Polymerase
Projections

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 Virion Morphology
Simple Structure
Repetitive Structure
High Level of Redundancy

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 Virus Morphology

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 What do Viruses look like?

Viruses are unusual and different from other

things in nature.
Viruses come in a variety of shapes

Some may be helical shape like the Ebola virus

Some may be polyhedral shapes like the influenza
virus
Others have more complex shapes like
bacteriophages
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 Types of Viruses:
Helical Viruses

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 Polyhedral Viruses

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 Complex Viruses

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 Viral Taxonomy

Family names end in -viridae

Genus names end in -virus
Viral species: A group of viruses
sharing the same genetic information
and ecological niche (host).
Common names are used for species
Subspecies are designated by a number
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 Used for Virus
Identification
Morophology
RNA or DNA Virus
Do or do NOT have an envelope
Capsid shape
HOST they infect

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 Herpes Virus

SIMPLEX I and II
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 Adenovirus

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 Influenza Virus

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 Chickenpox Virus

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 Papillomavirus Warts!

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 HOST SPECIFICITY

All kingdoms can be infected by viruses

Viruses are kingdom specific but they may or

may not be species specific

Spread is specific to the type of virus

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 PARASITISM

Viruses are parasites.

A parasite is an organism that
depends upon another living
organism for its existence in such a
way that it harms that organism.

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 Bacteriophages

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 Cylces

Lysogenic Cycle
Viral DNA
May stay inactive in host for long periods
of time
Long lasting
Example Mono or chickenpox
Lytic Cylce
Short and can be over come
Example flu virus
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 Virus Replication
1 Virus attachment
and entry
1 2 Uncoating of virion
3 Migration of
genome nucleic
5 acid to nucleus
4 Transcription
4 Genome replication
2 5
6 Translation of virus
3 mRNAs
7 Virion assembly
7 Release of new
8
virus particles
6

8
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 Cytopathic Effect (cpe)
Adenovirus Herpes virus

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Transmission of Viruses
Respiratory transmission
Influenza A virus
Faecal-oral transmission
Enterovirus
Blood-borne transmission
Hepatitis B virus
Sexual Transmission
HIV
Animal or insect vectors
Rabies virus
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 Virus Tissue Tropism
Targeting of the virus to specific tissue
and cell types

Receptor Recognition
CD4+ cells infected by HIV
CD155 acts as the receptor for
poliovirus

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 In vivo Disease Processes
Cell destruction
Virus-induced changes to gene
expression
Immunopathogenic disease

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 Acute Virus Infection
Symptoms
Amount of virus

Virus
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Time
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Acute Virus Infections
Localised to specific site of
body

Development of viraemia
with widespread infection of
tissues
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Poliovirus

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 Poliovirus
Properties of the virus
Enterovirus.
Possesses a RNA
genome.
Transmitted by the
faecal oral route.
Cause of
gastrointestinal illness
and poliomyelitis.
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 Poliovirus Infection
Virus
Infection
Non-neuronal
tissues

Gut Viraemia
Neuronal
tissues

Virus excretion
in the faeces
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Paralysis 43
 Incidence of Poliomyelitis
A B

40
Poliovirus vaccines
Number of cases (in thousands)

30 A: Salk killed inactivated

vaccine.
B: Sabin live attenuated
20 vaccine

10

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1950 1960
Virologi
1970 1980 44
 Influenza A virus
Properties of the virus
Myxovirus
Enveloped virus with a
segmented RNA
genome
Infects a wide range of
animals other than
humans
Undergoes extensive
antigenic variation
Major cause of
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Influenza A virus Infection
Spread by respiratory route
Virus infects cells of the respiratory tract
Destruction of respiratory epithelium
Secondary bacterial infections

Altered cytokine expression leading to

fever
e.g interleukin-1 and interferon
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Spread of influenza virus

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 Respiratory Tract

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Weekly consultation rates for influenza and influenza-like illness: Weekly
Returns Service of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 1988 to
1999

600
Rate per 100 000 population

500
Epidemic activity

400
Higher than expected Baseline activity
300 seasonal activity

200
Normal seasonal activity
100

0
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year

CDR Weekly Report: 5th November

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Virologi 49
Generation of Novel Influenza A Viruses
Human H2N2

ANTIGENIC SHIFT Human H3N2

Genetic Reassortment

Avian H3N8
Point mutation of HA and NA
genes

ANTIGENIC DRIFT
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Viruses and Human Tumours
Epstein Barr Virus
Burkitts Lymphoma
Human papillomavirus
Benign warts
Cervical Carcinoma
Human T-cell Leukaemia Virus (HTLV-1)
Leukaemia
Hepatitis C virus
Liver carcinoma
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Virus-induced tumours
Virus
Infection

[ ]
Uninfected Uncontrolled cell
Cell growth and tumour
formation
?
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Virus-induced transformation
Normal cells Transformed cells

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 Virus-Induced Tumours
Virus infects cell.
Virus nucleic acid, as DNA, integrates
into cellular genome.
Virus causes changes in cellular gene
expression.
Uncontrolled cell multiplication and
tumour formation.

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Treatment and Prevention
of Virus Infections
Antivirals

Vaccines and immunisation

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 Vaccine

Is a weaken form of the virus

To expose your immune system to the virus which
will allow your body to better fight off the virus
when exposed to the full blow virus.

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 Vector Control
This is controlling the vectors that are
carrying the virus.
Examples:
We stay home when sick, cover our
mouth when we cough etc.
We control the mosquito population in
order to control the West Nile virus

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 Other Drug Treatments

Specific to certain
viruses.

They dont cure the virus

but they can slow down
and inhibit the
multiplication of the virus.
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 Reducing the Risk
They cant be treated but they can be
prevented!
Cover mouth/nose when you sneeze of
cough
Wash hands frequently
Avoid contact with the body fluids
Not foolproof but reduces the risks

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 Antiviral Targets
Attachment/Entry

Nucleic acid replication

Virus protein processing

Virus maturation
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 Problems with Antivirals
Identification of virus-specific
target.

Generation of resistant variants.

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