4.) Viral genomes and capsid proteins self-assemble into new virus particles, which exit the cell…
The nucleic acid of a virus is protected by a protein coat called the capsid. The structure of the capsid is ultimately determined by the viral nucleic acid and accounts for most of the mass of a virus, especially of small ones. Each capsid is composed of protein subunits called capsomeres. In some viruses, the proteins composing the capsomeres are of a single type; in other viruses, several types of protein may be present. In some viruses, the capsid is covered by an envelope, which…
Viruses – A viruses is a small capsule that holds DNA or RNA, viruses, unlike bacteria are not self-sufficient and need a ‘host’ in order to reproduce, for example: ‘Human Body’. When a virus enters the body, it enters some certain cells and takes over making them the new ‘host cell’ which makes the parts the virus needs to reproduce, the cells are eventually destroyed through this process. The most common virus is the ‘common cold’ which has no cure.…
The shingle virus is not as contagious as the chicken pox but is composed of the same virus called the varicella zoster virus. In saying that, only people who have had the chicken pox are the only people that can get the shingles; this is because when a person gets chickenpox, the virus varicella hids and then develops into the zoster herpes virus. If you have shingles, however, you can spread the virus varicella and give another person the chickenpox. The shingles can be spread by the vesicular fluids that come out of the blisters caused by the herpes rash. In other words, “person-to-person transmission occurs via direct contact with vesicular fluids” (Madison LK 2015) if you have not had the chicken pox or have a weak immune system.…
The Nipah Virus causes severe illness. A person with this infection will get a respiratory disease, a term that includes extreme conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gaseous exchange possible in organisms, and includes conditions of the upper respiratory tract, trachea, bronchi, alveoli, pleura and the nerves and muscles of breathing. (Source c)…
British Cruise Ship Docked In The US With More Than 250 Passengers Sick With Norovirus…
This is a virus that has its capsid shaped into the shape of a spring, taking the space of a cylinder or rod-shaped structure. This type of shape has a central cavity that encloses its nucleic acid. Some of these viruses are short, while others are very long. Many allow for a lot of flexibility or a lot rigidity depending on how the capsomeres are arranged. Another type of viral shape for transporting viral nucleic acids is called icosahedral. An icosahedral virus is a virus consisting of identical subunits that has 20 equilateral triangular faces which is arranged in a symmetrical fashion. A special type of icosahedral shape, called a prolate, is a variant of the icosahedral viral shape and is found in bacteriophages. A lot of viruses are either helical or icosahedral in shape. Many animal viruses, which include those that infect humans, are icosahedral in shape. The icosahedral shape has been shown to be the most optimal way of forming a viral capsid for numerous reasons, but namely due to the fact that it provides the virus with a very stable shape with a lot of room inside for the storage for the nucleic…
A virus may not kill a host cell but may become inactive for a period…
Varicella may not be a common term in every household but chickenpox on the other hand is always a worry of parents with children in elementary school. Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV). (Talaro) Chickenpox is a virus that causes an itchy rash that is contagious. Chickenpox is spread through airborne droplets or direct contact with the lesions created by chickenpox. Varicella is strictly a human disease and cannot be carried by animals or insects.…
Viruses are NOT cells and much smaller than bacteria and damage the cells in which they reproduce.…
The Influenza virus kills about 36,000 people each year in the United States, and also causes 200,000 people to be hospitalized. 20 to 30 % of the people that have the virus don't have any symptoms. The influenza virus infects a few of the body systems in the human body. If the virus were to infect the cell then it would cause many malfunctions.…
Influenza viruses are constantly changing. This is why they emphasize getting your yearly flu shot. An interesting feature of the influenza virion is its tendency to “drift and shift” ("How the Flu Virus Can Change: “Drift” and “Shift”." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.). Pathologists coined this phrase when they discovered an antigenic drift in the DNA of an influenza strain. These changes are usually not big enough to affect our immune system’s ability to identify a certain strain. Over time however, these genetic drifts can accumulate and create enough of a difference in the genetic makeup to allow the virion to infiltrate the human body without being recognized. Shifting is the less common of the two, but is more aggressive. It occurs when new Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase proteins emerge, completely changing the subtype of the virus. The change happens so quickly that…
The cycle is completed when the virus approaches the central nervous system by the diffusion through neurons. since the environment is the best for the virus, it begins protein synthesis and RNA duplication. First, the RNA strand has to be duplicated to make a new generation of the virus. At the same time the proteins which are required to make the new virus copies are synthesized. The virus’s synthesized proteins and the new RNA strands assemble and form the new generation viruses which may leave the host cell through a budding process, forming an envelop from the host cell membrane. Eventually the copies can affect another host or affect the brain causing an abnormal behavior2.…
The Influenza virus, commonly known as the flu, is a viral disease that can be infectious in mammals and birds, it´s caused by RNA viruses. This disease is most common between the months of October and May, it can last from three days to five days; it´s an acute disease, because manifests quickly and last a short time.…
Global outbreaks of human influenza occur from influenza A viruses with novel Hemagglutinin (HA) molecules to which humans have no immunity. So understanding of the origin and evolution of HA genes is of particular importance. Host-origin classification based on the two outer proteins…