Viruses and prions

Read the wiki articles on Virus, phage and prions then answer the following questions in the assessment. You may have to do a little extra googling. Which of the following are viruses? Flu - virus Tuberculosis - bacteria Measles - virus Pneumonia both bacteria and virus, but bacteria is more common Malaria infection brought on by a parasite Multiple Sclerosis autoimmune How big is a big virus? The average virus is about one one-hundredth the size of an average bacterium or 100 nanometers. David Baltimore was one of the Nobel Prizewinners for the discovery of reverse transcriptase. Where was he at the time? MIT What is the organism of polio? Poliovirus Are any human diseases caused by phage? Yes, cholera, for example is caused by phage. Can phage infection be used to treat human diseases? Yes How do you catch kuru? (Do not try this at home). The disease is thought to result from the practice of ritualistic cannibalism, in which relatives consume the tissues (including brain) of a deceased family member. Brain tissue from individuals with kuru is highly infectious, and can transmit the disease through either oral or peripheral routes of infection (e.g., cuts, sores).