Chapter V

Viruses

Modisto S. Cabanesas II
San Pedro College
 What are viruses?
• Microbes can be divided into those that are
truly cellular (bacteria, archaea, algae,
protozoa, and fungi) and those that are
acellular (viruses, viroids, and prions).

• Cellular microbes (microorganisms) can be

divided into those that are procaryotic (bacteria
and archaea) and those that are eucaryotic
(algae, protozoa, and fungi).

• Viruses, viroids and prions are often referred to

as acellular microbes or infectious particles.
 Virus Structure
• Complete virus particles are
called virions.
• Most viruses are from 10 to
300 nm in diameter.
• made of DNA or RNA,
surrounded by a capsid
• some have an outer envelope
composed of lipids and
polysaccharides.
• some viruses have spikes
covering the envelope.
 Host Range

• Host range is determined by

specific host attachment sites
and cellular factors
• Viruses infect humans, animals,
plants, fungi, protozoa, algae
and bacterial cells.
• Some viruses, called oncogenic
viruses or oncoviruses, cause
specific types of cancer.
 Viruses vs. Living Cells
Viruses have five properties that distinguish them from
living cells:

1. They possess either DNA or RNA – living cells possess both.

2. They are unable to replicate on their own.
3. Unlike cells, they do not divide by binary fission, mitosis, or
meiosis.
4. They lack the genes and enzymes necessary for energy production.
5. They depend on the ribosomes, enzymes, and metabolites of the
host cell for protein and nucleic acid production.
 Classification of Viruses

Viruses are classified by:

• Type of genetic material (either DNA or RNA)
• Shape and size of capsid
• Number of capsomeres
• Presence or absence of an envelope
• Type of host it infects
• Disease it produces
• Target cell(s)Immunologic/antigenic properties
Viruses Diversity
 Categories of Viruses
There are 4 categories of viruses, based on the type of nucleic acid that they possess.
 Bacteriophages

Viruses that infect bacteria are known as bacteriophages

or simply phages.

Can be categorized based on:

• their shape (icosahedron, filamentous, and complex)
• the type of nucleic acid they possess (ssDNA, dsDNA,
ssRNA, dsRNA)
• events that occur after invasion of the bacterial cell
(virulent and temperate)
Bacteriophage
 Bacteriophages

• virulent bacteriophages - cause what is known

as the lytic cycle, which ends with the
destruction of the bacterial cell
• temperate bacteriophages – do not
immediately initiate the lytic cycle, their DNA
can stay in the host cell’s chromosome for
generation
Lytic Cycle
 Animal Viruses

• Viruses that infect humans and animals are referred to as

animal viruses.

• They can be DNA viruses or RNA viruses

• They may consist solely of nucleic acids surrounded by protein

coats or they may be more complex.
Steps in the Multiplication of Animal Viruses
Viral Replication Comparison
 Antiviral Agents

• Drugs used to treat viral infections are called antiviral agents.

• Antibiotics function by inhibiting certain metabolic activities
within cellular pathogens, and viruses are not cells.
• Antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent secondary bacterial
infections.
 Oncogenic Viruses

Viruses that causes cancer are called oncogenic viruses

or oncoviruses.
Examples:
• Epstein-Barr virus (Burkitt lymphoma; B-cell
lymphoma)
• Herpesvirus 8 (Kaposi sarcoma)
• Human papillomaviruses (cervical cancer)
 Oncogenic Viruses

Burkitt lymphoma Kaposi sarcoma

 Human Immunodeficiency Virus

• the causative agent of AIDS

• an enveloped, single-stranded, RNA virus
• part of Retroviridae (retroviruses)
• able to attach to and invade cells bearing receptors
that the virus recognizes like CD4 receptors seen on
helper T-cells.
HIV structure
 Mimivirus

• Extremely large dsDNA

virus recovered from
amoeabas
• there is an increasing
body of evidence that
mimiviruses might
cause pneumonia
 Mimivirus

• Extremely large dsDNA

virus recovered from
amoeabas
• there is an increasing
body of evidence that
mimiviruses might
cause pneumonia
 Plant Viruses

• are obligate intracellular parasites that do not have the molecular

machinery to replicate without a host
• most are rod-shaped, with protein discs forming a tube
surrounding the viral genome; isometric particles are another
common structure
• they rarely have an envelope
• the great majority have an RNA genome, which is usually small and
single stranded (ss), but some viruses have double-stranded (ds)
RNA, ssDNA or dsDNA genome
• one plant virus has become very recognizable: tobacco mosaic
virus (TMV), the first virus to be discovered.
Tobacco Mosaic Virus
 Viroids and Prions

Viroids – are infectious RNA molecules that cause a

variety of plant diseases.

Prions – are infectious proteins molecules that cause a

variety of animal and human diseases.
 Viroids

Potato Spindle Tuber Citrus exocortis

 Prions
Scrapie in sheep Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Virus “Lifestyle” Strategy
 Latent Virus Infections

Chicken Pox Shingles

 Persistent Viral Infections

Measles HIV