CANTHO UNIVERSITY

Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Chapter 4: Virus transmission

1. Introduction
2. Transmission of plant viruses
3. Transmission of vertebrate viruses
4. Transmission of invertebrate viruses
5. Permissive cells

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

Chapter 4: Virus transmission

WAGENINGEN UR

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Learning outcomes

1. Describe the modes of transmission of plant viruses and

animal viruses

2. Evaluate the roles of vectors in virus transmission

3. Discuss the immune mechanisms encountered by an animal
virus when it enters the body of a new host

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Introduction to virus transmission

1.

A minimum proportion of virions must be transmited to the new hosts

2.

To be maintained in cells as nucleic acids

3.

Cell receptors >< virus attachment sites

4.

Viruses of multicellular animals and plants must find new cells to infect (adjacent
cells blood phloem)

5.

Some virus infection modify behaviour of their hosts to increase probability of

transmission (mammal infected with rabies virus become aggressive)/ (plant
feeding insect larvae infected with baculoviruses more mobile)

6.

Some viruses transmitted to new hosts without seeing the light of day (kissing/
sexual intercourse; via vectors; vertical transmission)

7.

Rivers Wind migration /travel/ animal export inanimate material

8.

Need minimum infective dose ?

cell divide

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

General principles of transmission via vector

1. Organisms feed on animals or plants
2. Most vectors: arthropods (insects, mites, ticks)

3. Principle: vector feeds on infected host and transmit the virus to new
hosts
4. Mouthparts (second/minute) >< gut wall > circulatory system > salivary
glands > saliva (hours or days)

5. Vector-vector transmission >< sexually transmission >< transovarial (to

next generation within egg)
6. High degree of specificity bet. Vectors >< viruses (plant
viruses><vectors higher specificity than vertebrate viruses >< vectors

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

Transmission
of plant viruses WAGENINGEN UR

1. Across barriers (cell wall) by vectors

2. Piercing cell walls and ingesting (aphids, nematodes) / biting (bettles)
3.

Aphids: vectors probe a number of cells

select one on which to
feed virus maybe transmitted into cells that are probed but not
significant damaged

4. Specificity: virus with different shapes >< different types of nematodes :

base on a.a of capsid proteins / or helper factors (virion >< mouthpart of
vector)

5. In fungi spores
Furovirus)

germinate on new host coinfect (by name:

6. 20% transmitted vertically: in embryo from ovule / pollen grain

(nepoviruses tobraviruses)

7. Artificial means: grafting

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

Chapter 4: Virus transmission

WAGENINGEN UR

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Transmission of vertebrate viruses

* Non vector transmission:

Mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract (shed virus by

sneezing / speaking / coughing
inhaling by new host)

Genital secretion

Intestinal tract
/water

Lesions: (foot and mouth virus) / wart (papillomavirus) / lips :

directly (rabies virus) or indirectly (environment)

Epithelial cells / lympho cells (common cold, rotavirus) cross

epithelial surface to other organs tissues (measles, polio)

sexual contact
faeces

faeces-contaminated food

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Transmission of vertebrate viruses

Vector transmission:

Blood - feeding athropods

Ticks : host remain infected for life (tick-borne encephalitis

virus)

Transovarial transmission: yellow fever virus in mosquitoes

Inanimate vectors: syringes, needles, .blood transfusion

equipment

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

Chapter 4: Virus transmission

WAGENINGEN UR

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Transmission of vertebrate viruses

Virus survival in the vertebrate host : Virus infection # evade several

defence systems:
1. For examples:
In lower respiratory tract : avoided mucociliary escalator
Gastro-intestinal tract : avoid pH
2. Barriers of mucosal surfaces (not virus specific - innate immune system):
fluids: viscous-contain antiviral substances (complement proteins
damage enveloped virions by insertion into their membranes / coat
virions
phagocytes

Phagocytosed : macrophages (large cells); neutrophils (white blood

cells)

3. Antibodies and other components of adaptive immune system

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

Transmission of Invertebrate viruses

WAGENINGEN UR

(only replicate in invertebrates)

1. Most of them have insect hosts

2. Have evolved occlusion bodies (large protein structures embed
virion): cypoviruses; baculoviruses

3. Occlusion bodies:

expel in faeces / or remain in insect (ingested)

Robust structure: survive putrefaction / protect virion in environment
Broken down in host gut by [enzyme high pH]
release virions

4. Vertical transmission (within or on surface of eggs)

5. Vector
wasps

transmission (between

insect

hosts): parasitic

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Transmission of Invertebrate viruses

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Permissive cells
1. Permit replication of the virus
2. Have appropriate receptor
3. Must be present / or inducible: all requirement factors of virus (transcription
factors; enzymes)
4. Some viruses are restricted to a narrow range of permissive cells (hepatitis
B virus hepatocytes) >< others less specific: some can replicate in both
plant and animal cells

5. Range of permissive cell types much wider the cell types found infected in
nature
6. Some viruses of eukaryotes need the host cell in a particular phase of the
cell cycle
retrovirus require access to the cell nucleus # nuclear envelope broken
down in the mitosis phase
Parvovirus use DNA replicating enzymes of the host (which present in
S phase)

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Permissive cells
7. Lack defences against the virus / or virus must have ability to
overcome the defences of cell (RE; cytokines: Interferons,
interleukins, tumour necrosis factor)

8. Barriers of mucosal surfaces (not virus specific - innate immune

system): fluids: viscous-contain antiviral substances(complement
proteins damage enveloped virions by insertion into their
membranes / coat virions >>>> phagocytes)
Phagocytosed : macrophages (large cells); neutrophils (white
blood cells)

9. Antibodies and other components of adaptive immune system

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

Permissive cells

WAGENINGEN UR

CANTHO UNIVERSITY
Laboratory
of Virology
BiRDI

MABI: Plant Virology Lectures

WAGENINGEN UR

Learning outcomes

1. Describe the modes of transmission of plant viruses and

animal viruses

2. Evaluate the roles of vectors in virus transmission

3. Discuss the immune mechanisms encountered by an animal
virus when it enters the body of a new host