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VIROLOGY
CLS 413

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

Prof. in Microbiology
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 Objectives

1- History.
2- General properties of viruses.
3-Viral Structure.
4- Identify the basis of viral classification.
5- Virus replication.

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 History

 One hundred years ago, researchers could not imagine

submicroscopic particles.

 By the I930s,scientists had begun using the word virus, the

Latin word for poison, to describe these filterable agents.

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HISTORY

 The nature of viruses, however, remained elusive until 1935, when

Wendell Stanley, an American chemist, isolated tobacco mosaic

virus, making it possible for the first time to carry out chemical and

structural studies on a purified virus.

 At about the same time, the invention of the electron microscope

made it possible to see viruses.

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Tobacco mosaic virus

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Host range

 The host range of a virus is the: spectrum of host cells the virus can infect.

 They can infect :

Man

Animals

Insects

Plants

Bacteria

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General properties of viruses:
1-Viruses are very small in size, from 20-300 m.
2-They are only seen by electron microscope.
3-They contain one kind of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA) as their
genome.
4-Viruses are metabolically inert because they do not possess
ribosomes for the synthesis of new viral proteins.
5-They are obligate intracellular parasites (replicate only
inside living cells).
6- They can pass through bacterial filters.

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 Viral Structure
Each virus particle or virion is a complete, fully developed, infectious
viral particle composed of :
1- A protein coat called capsid that protects it from the environment.
2- A nucleic acid core (DNA OR RNA).
3- Lipoprotein envelope in some viruses (enveloped).
Viral capsid:
It is the protein coat surrounding the nucleic acid.
It is composed of small protein subunits (capsomeres) arranged
symmetrically around the nucleic acid.

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 • Each virus particle or virion is composed of :
• Each virus particle or virion is composed of :

A • Protein coat
(Capsid)

B • Nucleic acid
core

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 Viral Nucleic Acid:
- Viruses contain either DNA or RNA but not both.
-Most DNA viruses are double stranded, some are
single stranded.
-Most RNA viruses are single stranded, some are
double stranded.

Viral envelope :
-Many viruses are surrounded by a lipoprotein
envelopes carrying glycoprotein spikes.

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• Atypical viruses (Viroid):
o Infectious RNA viruses, depend on other viruses.
o e.g. HDV (Hepatitis D virus).

• Prion:
-Infectious protein without nucleic acid
-Causes mammalian transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy, including bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (known as "mad cow disease"). 

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 Virus Symmetry
Viruses have three types of symmetry:
Cubical symmetry: These viruses resemble a crystal and are called

icosahedral viruses. Example: adenoviruses.

Helical symmetry: In which the particle is elongated. Most helical
viruses are enveloped. Example: influenza virus.
Complex symmetry: In which the viruses are complicated in
structure. Example: poxviruses and
bacteriophage.

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 Viral Morphology
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 Classification of Viruses:
Classical virus classification schemes have been based on
the consideration of major properties of viruses:
1- Type of nucleic acid which is found in the virion (RNA
or DNA, single stranded or double stranded)
2- Symmetry of the capsid (Cubic, helical, complex).
3- Presence or absence of an envelope (enveloped, naked)
4- Size of the virus particle.
5- Antigenic properties.
6- Biologic properties, including natural host range, mode
of transmission, vector relationship, pathogenicity, and
tissue tropism.
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 Classification of Viruses
• Most clinically important viruses can be classified into groups
according to their structural characters into:

A • RNA Viruses

B • DNA Viruses

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 DNA

Icosahedral Complex

Pox viruses
Naked Enveloped

Papilloma Herpes
viruses viruses

Hepatitis B
virus

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 RNA
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Helical Icosahedral

Enveloped Enveloped Naked

Influenza Enteroviruses
virus HIV

Paramyxoviruses HAV
HCV

Rhinoviruses

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 Viral Replication:
Steps of Viral Replication:
1- Adsorption: Virus attaches to the cell surface.
2- Penetration (Entry): Enveloped viruses:
Receptor-mediated endocytosis
3- Uncoating: Uncoating is the physical separation of viral
nucleic acid from the outer structural components.
4- Transcription of mRNA.
5- Synthesis of viral components: This involves the
synthesis of viral proteins and viral genomes.
6- Assembly: New virus particles are assembled by
packaging of the genome into capsid.
7- Release: Virus may be released due to cell lysis, or, if
enveloped, may bud from the cell.
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Virus replication: general

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Thank you

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