Virus-Host Interactions: Virus Life Cycle

Fun Facts

- 100 years ago: The first virus was found in both plants and animals.

- Tobacco mosaic virus was the first virus ever discovered.

- Chicken pox is not caused by chickens, it is caused by the Varicella Zoster Virus. It was called Chicken pox because: 1. When chicken pox was first described, it was noted that the blisters looked like chick peas placed upon the skin. The Latin word for chick peas is 'cicer' which is the original word that chicken pox got its name from. OR

2. Chicken may be a corrupted form of the Old English word 'gican', which means "itch".

- Viruses are acellular and thus non-living!

- Ebola is an RNA virus; this is why it can mutate so quickly. DNA viruses are more stable and therefore, they mutate less often.

- Viruses are too small to be seen by the naked eye they are about 20 to 250 nanometres in size.

- Viruses can’t reproduce on their own; they need to take over another cell (plant, animal or human).

- Some viruses are useful – viruses called bacteriophages (means ‘bacteria eater’) kill bacteria and are used to protect people against harmful bacteria in food.

- Once people have had some viral infections, like chickenpox, it makes them immune from having it again – vaccination creates the same kind of immunity, so can prevent people from getting the viral infections.

- The more people who are vaccinated reduces the amount of infection in a population, protecting even those people who are not vaccinated – this is called ‘herd immunity’. Depending on the virus, 85-95% of people need to be vaccinated to protect the rest of the people – this is why vaccination is important.

- There is no vaccine against colds, as there are so many different viruses that cause colds.

- Flu vaccines change every year, as there are a number of different flu viruses, and the viruses themselves mutate (change) all the time.

- Plants can get virus infections – they can make leaves and flowers change colour, or make leaves and stems twisted.

- Viral infections cannot be cured with antibiotics – most viral infections, like a cold or flu, or some chest infections, just get better on their own.

- Viruses are passed on by sneezing and coughing, or by touching someone who has a viral infection – this is why it is important to cough or sneeze into tissues and wash hands regularly when infected with a cold or other viral infection.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Virus Life Cycle

Growth Curve

Attachment stage

Viruses bind to the receptor but have not get into the host yet.

Latent/ eclipse period

There is a fall in the number of viruses because no infectious particles are present during the replication process. Viruses will not be detected until it is being released.

Virus burst

Number of viruses went up because new progeny of viruses are assembled and released.

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Saturday, January 30, 2010

Virus Life Cycle

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