Lec.

1
Introduction
to Virology
General Virology MIC-301 -BS Microbiology-
Quaid-e-Azam University
Sameen Noushad
 • Structure and classification: bacterial, plant and animal viruses.

COURSE OUTLINE
• Sub-viral particles (prions, viroids, satellites, nanobes).
• Origin of viruses.
• Cultivation and detection of viruses.
• Virus-host cell interaction. Replication of animal, plant and bacterial viruses.
• Diagnostic procedures: viral infections of humans, animals, plants, bacterial.
Isolation of viruses, identification and serology, functional and morphological
groups.
• Effects of viral infections on host cell.
• Mechanisms of pathogenicity of animal viruses.
• Transmission of viruses.
• Control, treatment and prevention of viral infections.
• Genetic variations in viruses; mutations, genetic drift and shift.
• Oncogenic viruses.

• Recommended books:
Modern Virology by N.J.Dimmock
Principles of Modern Virology by Alan J. Cann
Scientists estimate that there are roughly 10^31 viruses. That’s
a one with 31 zeroes after it! If you were somehow able to
wrangle up all of these viruses and line them end-to-end, your
virus column would extend nearly 200 light years into space. To
put it another way, there are over ten million times more viruses
on Earth than there are stars in the entire universe.

Does that mean there are 10^31, viruses just waiting to infect
us? Actually, most of these viruses are found in oceans, where
they attack bacteria and other microbes. It may seem odd that
bacteria can get a virus, but scientists think that every kind of
living organism is probably host to at least one virus!
What is a
virus?
An infectious, obligate
intracellular parasite
containing genetic
material (DNA or RNA)
surrounded by a protein
coat and/or an
envelope derived from
a host cell membrane.
Characteristics of Viruses

Virus particles Cannot Viruses are very

Infected cells are
are neither reproduce by tiny
the living
classified as themselves. A
manifestation of
living or non living cellular host is
what is encoded
organisms. needed for
in a viral genome
viruses to
reproduce
Are viruses alive?
Viruses do not reproduce by division but are assembled from
preformed components, and they cannot make their own energy or
proteins. A virus-infected cell is more like a factory than a womb.

One view is that inside their host cell viruses are alive, whereas
outside it they are only complex arrangements of metabolically inert
chemicals.

This is a bit problematic—alive at sometimes but not at others.

Viruses do not fit into most of the common definitions of “life”—
growth, respiration, etc.
Is it in the virus’s interest to
kill its host?

• The viral replication process begins

when a virus infects its host.
• Then the viral genome hijacks the host
cell's machinery, forcing it to replicate
the viral genome and produce viral
proteins to make new capsids.
• The new viruses burst out of the host
cell during a process called lysis, which
kills the host cell.
• It is never in the virus’s interest to kill its
host because without it even the virus
cant survive.
Origin of Viruses (theories)
The regressive hypothesis The escape hypothesis
Maybe these early Alternatively, some
viruses are degenerate nucleic acid might have
life-forms which have been transferred
lost many functions that accidentally into a cell of
other organisms a different species (e.g.
possess and have only through a wound or by
retained the genetic sexual contact) and,
information essential to instead of being
their parasitic way of degraded, as would
life. normally be the case,
might have survived and
replicated.
The “virus-first” hypothesis
This theory states that
viruses predated cells
and contributed to the
rise of cellular life.
Contrastingly, all known
viruses need a cellular
host to replicate, thus
necessitating the
existence of cells
before virus survival.
 Discovery

Researchers used special filters to remove bacteria from tissues that were infected. If
bacteria were causing the infection, the filtered tissues should no longer be able to make
other organisms sick. However, in 1892, Dmitri Iwanowski was able to show that the
causal agent of a mosaic disease of tobacco plants passed through a bacteria-proof
filter, and could not be seen or cultivated.

Beijerinck repeated the experiments in 1898, and became convinced that this
represented a new form of infectious agent which he termed contagium
vivum fluidum, and this discovery is considered to be the beginning of
virology.
The Year 3700 BC

The first written record of a virus

infection consists of a hieroglyph
from Memphis, the capital of
ancient Egypt, drawn in
approximately 3700 BC, which
depicts a temple priest called
Ruma showing typical clinical
signs of paralytic poliomyelitis.
Variolation

Smallpox was endemic in China by

1500-1000BC. In response, the practice
of variolation was developed.

Recognizing that survivors of smallpox

outbreaks are protected from
subsequent infection, variolation
involves inhalation of the dried crusts
from smallpox lesions like snuff, or in
later modifications, inoculation of the
pus from a lesion into a scratch on the
forearm.
Lady Mary Montague
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu introduced
Variolation to England. Having caught
smallpox herself two years earlier -- and
losing her brother two years before that.

Lady Mary wished to spare her son

Edward the experience of the disease. In
the end, the variolation worked, and
Edward recovered from mild symptoms of
smallpox and became immune.
 The Year 1796: Edward Jenner

In May 1796 Jenner found a young Phipps, who had never had
dairymaid, Sarah Nelmes, who had smallpox. Phipps became slightly
fresh cowpox lesions on her hand. On ill over the course of the next 9
May 14, using matter from Sarah’s days but was well on the 10th.
lesions, he inoculated an eight-year-
old boy, James Phipps, who had never
had smallpox.
On July 1 Jenner inoculated the
Jenner had been impressed by the fact boy again, this time with smallpox
that a person who had suffered an matter. No disease developed;
attack of cowpox—a relatively protection was complete.
harmless disease that could be
contracted from cattle—could not be
affected by smallpox
 Why do we
study viruses?
 Viruses cause disease Human
Diseases
As well as causing individuals
to suffer, virus diseases can
also affect the well-being of
societies.
This knowledge permits the
development of effective means
for prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of virus diseases.

Cause diseases, ranging from the
trivial (e.g. common colds) to the
lethal (e.g. rabies), and viruses also
play roles in the development of
several types of cancer.
Smallpox had a great impact in the
past and AIDS is having a great
impact today and the Coronavirus
has put the entire world on edge.
Diseases in veterinary Many viruses that cause disease
in domestic animals and crop
animals and plants plants: foot and mouth disease
virus and rice yellow mottle virus
are just two examples.

In 2001, an epidemic outbreak in

the United Kingdom spread to
other countries in Europe and led
to the slaughter of more than 3
million infected and uninfected
farm animals.

The associated economic,

societal, and political costs
threatened to bring down the
British government.
 Viruses can
In the mid-20th

Bacteriophages
cause economic
century phages
damage is in the
were used to treat
dairy industry,
some bacterial
where phages
infections of
(viruses that
humans. Interest
affect bacteria)
waned with the
can infect the
discovery of
lactic acid
antibiotics, but
bacteria that are
has been
responsible for
renewed with the
the fermentations
emergence of
that produce
antibiotic-resistant
cheese, yogurt
strains of
and other milk
bacteria.
products.
 BENEFITS A number of enzymes used in molecular
biology are virus enzymes. Examples include
reverse transcriptase from retroviruses and
RNA polymerases from phages.

Some insect pests are controlled with

baculoviruses. Myxoma virus has been
used to control rabbits (Rabbits are
pests in Australia).

Genetically modified strains of viruses are being

investigated for treatment of cancers. These strains
have been modified so that they are able to infect
and destroy specific tumor cells, but are unable to
infect normal cells.
 Simplicity of viruses
1) All have a nucleic acid genome packaged in a proteinaceous particle. This particle is the vehicle
for transmission of the viral genome from host to host. The particle is a delivery device, but it is not
alive.

2) The viral genome contains the information to initiate and complete an infectious cycle within a
host cell. An infectious cycle allows attachment and entry of the particle, decoding of genome
information, translation of viral mRNA by host ribosomes, genome replication, assembly and
release of particles containing the genome

3. All viral genomes are able to establish themselves in a host population so that virus survival is
ensured

This three-part strategy achieves one goal: SURVIVAL