Welcome

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

We live and prosper in a literal cloud of viruses

Viruses infect all living things

We eat and breathe billions of virions regularly
We carry viral genomes as part of our own
geneDc material

The number of viruses on Earth is staggering

More than 1030 bacteriophage
parDcles in the worlds waters!
A bacteriophage parDcle weighs about a femtogram
(10-15 grams)
1030 X 10-15= the biomass on the planet of
BACTERIAL VIRUSES ALONE exceeds the biomass of
elephants by more than 1000-fold!
The length of a head to tail line of 1030 phages is more
than 200 million light years!
hQp://www.phagehunter.org/2008/09/how-far-do-those-
phages-stretch.html

Andromeda Galaxy - 2.5 million light years away

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There are ~1016 HIV genomes

on the planet today

How infected are we?

HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, HCMV

EBV, HHV-6, HHV-7, HHV-8

Once infected, it is for life

You are a reservoir for viruses that have set up

residence in your lungs, gastrointesFnal tract
and other places

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Amazingly, the vast

majority of the viruses
that infect us have
liJle or no impact on
our health or well
being
2009 ASM Press

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Not all viruses make you sick...

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The good viruses

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Viruses are amazing

This course will teach you why and how

2009 ASM Press
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This course is designed to help you see the big

picture of virology

Ill show you how to think about virology as an

integraDve discipline, not an isolated collecDon of

viruses, diseases, or genes

You will learn the fundamentals about these

molecular wizards that amaze the informed and

frighten the uninformed

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Images from Principles of Virology

2009 American Society for Microbiology
Are used with permission
No further reproducDon or distribuDon is permiQed
without the prior wriQen permission of the
American Society for Microbiology

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