VIRUS

Roshel M. Alejandre, LPT

Instructor
 Viruses are typically described as obligate
intracellular parasites, acellular infectious
agents that require the presence of a host cell
Virus in order to multiply. Viruses that have been
found to infect all types of cells – humans,
animals, plants, bacteria, yeast, archaea,
protozoa.
 Virus Characteristics
•Viruses can be extremely simple
in design, consisting of nucleic acid
surrounded by a protein coat known
as a capsid. The capsid is
composed of smaller protein
components referred to
as capsomers. The capsid+genome
combination is called
a nucleocapsid.
-membranous layer that
surrounds the nucleocapsid

-DNA or RNA

-Capsid + Genome combination

-commonly known as a viral

matrix, is a cluster of proteins
that lines the space between the
envelope and nucleocapsid of
all herpesviruses
Virus Structure • According to the shape of viral nucleocapsid, there
are two types of viruses: helical and icosahedral
viruses.
• Helical viruses, capsomers are arranged helically
around the viral genome, giving the virus an
elongated tube-like structure.
• Icosahedral viruses, icosahedral symmetry
containing 20 equilateral triangular faces and 12
vertices gives the virus a spherical shape. Apart from
these structures, some viruses including pox virus
and bacteriophage possess completely different
architecture, and thus, grouped as complex viruses.
Not all viruses are the same!

Enveloped Virus
Enveloped viruses have an additional layer that covers the
capsid. This membrane is composed of lipids and proteins it “stole”
from the host cells and viral glycoproteins (sugars combined with
proteins).
Enveloped viruses can cause persistent infections and must transfer
from host to host. Examples of enveloped viruses include ones that
cause notorious diseases in humans, such as COVID-19, Influenza,
Hepatitis B and C, and Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola Virus Disease).
 CORONAVIRUS
• SARS-CoV-2 depict structures on the viral
envelope. These types of viruses need both an intact
capsid and the envelope to infect cells.
• The envelope also helps avoid detection by the host
immune system because it makes the virus look like
just another host cell. But, the envelope also provides a
soft target for destroying the virus when it is outside the
host.
• Common disinfectants, and even alcohol, detergents or
soap can disrupt the oily envelope and its components,
destroying the ability for the virus to infect host cells.
Influenza is a viral infection that attacks
your respiratory system — your nose, throat
and lungs. Influenza is commonly called the
flu, but it's not the same as stomach "flu"
viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting.
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are
liver infections caused by a virus.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus
that attacks the body's immune system. If HIV is not
treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome). There is currently no
effective cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for
life. But with proper medical care, HIV can be
controlled.
Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes fever, body
aches, and diarrhea, and sometimes bleeding inside and
outside the body.
As the virus spreads through the body, it damages
the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels
of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe,
uncontrollable bleeding.
The disease was known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever but is
now referred to as Ebola virus.
It kills up to 90% of people who are infected.
Non-Enveloped Virus
Non-enveloped viruses do not have a lipid
covering, but their effects on humans can be just as
devastating. These “naked” viruses only need their
protein-based capsid and host detector proteins to
infect host cells. However, because they lack a lipid
envelope, they are more resistant to many disinfectants
and other stresses like drying out or heat. Examples of
non-enveloped viruses include types that can cause
dysentery (Norovirus), common colds (Rhinovirus)
and Polio (Poliovirus).
Norovirus is a very contagious virus that
causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get
infected and sick with norovirus. You can get
norovirus from:
•Having direct contact with an infected person
•Consuming contaminated food or water
•Touching contaminated surfaces and then
putting your unwashed hands in your mouth
Rhinovirus (rhin means "nose") infections cause
the common cold.
Rhinoviruses may also cause some sore throats, ear
infections, and infections of the sinuses (openings in
the bone near the nose and eyes). They may also
cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis, but this is less
common.
•Polio is a disabling and life-threatening disease
caused by the poliovirus.
•The virus spreads from person to person and can
infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis
(can’t move parts of the body).
 Virus Replication Cycle
While the replication cycle of viruses can vary from virus to virus, there is a
general pattern that can be described, consisting of six steps:
1. Attachment – the virion attaches to the correct host cell.
2. Penetration or Viral Entry – the virus or viral nucleic acid gains entrance
into the cell.
3. Uncoating- viral contents are released.
4. Synthesis – the viral proteins and nucleic acid copies are manufactured
by the cells’ machinery.
5. Assembly – viruses are produced from the viral components.
6. Release – newly formed virions are released from the cell.
 1. Attachment
•Outside of their host cell, viruses are inert or
metabolically inactive. Therefore, the encounter of a
virion to an appropriate host cell is a random event.
The attachment itself is highly specific, between
molecules on the outside of the virus and receptors
on the host cell surface. This accounts for the
specificity of viruses to only infect particular cell
types or particular hosts.
2. Penetration or Viral Entry
• Many unenveloped (or naked) viruses inject their
nucleic acid into the host cell, leaving an empty capsid
on the outside. This process is termed penetration and
is common with bacteriophage, the viruses that infect
bacteria. With the eukaryotic viruses, it is more likely
for the entire capsid to gain entrance into the cell,
with the capsid being removed in the cytoplasm. An
unenveloped eukaryotic virus often gains entry
via ENDOCYTOSIS, where the host cell is compelled
to engulf the capsid resulting in an endocytic vesicle.
 3. Uncoating
•An enveloped eukaryotic virus gains
entrance for its nucleocapsid when the
viral envelope fuses with the host cell
membrane, pushing the nucleocapsid
past the cell membrane. If the entire
nucleocapsid is brought into the cell
then there is an uncoating process to
strip away the capsid and release the
viral genome.
 4. Synthesis
•The synthesis stage is largely dictated by the
type of viral genome, since genomes that differ
from the cell’s dsDNA genome can involve
intricate viral strategies for genome replication
and protein synthesis. Viral specific enzymes,
such as RNA-dependent RNA polymerases,
might be necessary for the replication process to
proceed. Protein production is tightly
controlled, to insure that components are made
at the right time in viral development.
5. Assembly
•The complexity of viral assembly depends upon the
virus being made. The simplest virus has a capsid
composed of 3 different types of proteins, which self-
assembles with little difficulty. The most complex
virus is composed of over 60 different proteins, which
must all come together in a specific order. These
viruses often employ multiple assembly lines to
create the different viral structures and then utilize
scaffolding proteins to put all the viral components
together in an organized fashion.
6. Release
•The majority of viruses lyse their host cell at the
end of replication, allowing all the newly formed
virions to be released to the environment.
Another possibility, common for enveloped
viruses, is budding, where one virus is released
from the cell at a time. The cell membrane is
modified by the insertion of viral proteins, with
the nucleocapsid pushing out through this
modified portion of the membrane, allowing it to
acquire an envelope.
VIRUS
REPLICATION
Different Hosts and Their Viruses
• Viruses are often very specific as to which hosts and
which cells within the host they will infect. This
feature of a virus makes it specific to one or a few
species of life on earth. So many different types of
viruses exist that nearly every living organism has its
own set of viruses that try to infect its cells. Even the
smallest and simplest of cells, prokaryotic bacteria,
may be attacked by specific types of viruses.
 Bacteriophage
•Viruses that infect bacteria are
known as bacteriophage or phage.
A virulent phage is one that always
lyses the host cell at the end of
replication, after following the six
steps of replication. This is called
the LYTIC CYCLE of replication.
•There are also temperate phage, viruses that
have two options regarding their replication.
Option 1 is to mimic a virulent phage, following
the five steps of replication and lysing the host
cell at the end, referred to as the lytic cycle. But
temperate phage differ from virulent phage in
that they have another choice: Option 2, where
they remain within the host cell without
destroying it. This process is known
as lysogeny or the LYSOGENIC CYCLE of
replication.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FqlTslU22s&t=36s
LYTIC VS LYSOGENIC CYCLE
•The LYTIC CYCLE involves the reproduction of
viruses using a host cell to manufacture more viruses;
the viruses then burst out of the cell.
• The LYSOGENIC CYCLE involves the incorporation
of the viral genome into the host cell genome,
infecting it from within.
CORONAVIRUS
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtN-goy9VOY&t=2s

CORONAVIRUS
1
A protein coat that surrounds the
nucleic acid of a virus.

CAPSID
2
The capsid is composed of smaller
protein components referred to
as _______.
CAPSOMERS
3
•According to the shape of viral
nucleocapsid, there are two types of
viruses. What are they?
HELICAL AND
ICOSAHEDRAL
4
The capsid+genome combination is
called a ____________.

NUCLEOCAPSID
5
It is a cluster of proteins that lines the space
between the envelope and nucleocapsid of
all herpesviruses
VIRAL
TEGUMENT
6
These are liver infections caused by a
virus.

Hepatitis B and C
7
It is a virus that attacks the body's
immune system.

HIV
8
Ebola is an enveloped virus. TRUE
OR FALSE?

TRUE
9
Rhinovirus that causes common colds
is an enveloped virus.

FALSE
10
Is coronavirus an enveloped or a non-
enveloped virus?
ENVELOPED
VIRUS
11
Viruses that infect bacteria are known
as______________.
Bacteriophage/
phage
12
The cycle that involves the reproduction of
viruses using a host cell to manufacture more
viruses, the viruses then burst out of the cell.
Lytic Cycle
13
This cycle involves the incorporation of the
viral genome into the host cell genome,
infecting it from within.

Lysogenic Cycle
14
Virus can have both DNA and RNA. TRUE OR
FALSE?

FALSE
15-20
In correct order:
The 6 steps of Viral replication.
Attachment- Penetration-
Uncoating- Synthesis-
Assembly-Release
•“Bacteria are unicellular organisms
belonging to the prokaryotic group
where the organisms lack a few
organelles and a true nucleus”.
-peptidoglycan

-a locomotory organ
 Type of Classification Examples
SHAPES
Bacillus (Rod-shaped) Escherichia coli (E. coli)

Spirilla or spirochete (Spiral) Spirillum volutans

Coccus (Sphere) Streptococcus pneumoniae

Vibrio (Comma-shaped) Vibrio cholerae

 Useful Bacteria
• Convert milk into curd – Lactobacillus or lactic acid bacteria
• Ferment food products – Streptococcus and Bacillus
• Help in digestion and improving the body’s immunity
system –Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria
• Production of antibiotics, which is used in the treatment
and prevention of bacterial infections – Soil bacteria
Harmful Bacteria
•There are bacteria that can cause a multitude of
illnesses. They are responsible for many of
the infectious diseases like pneumonia,
tuberculosis, diphtheria, syphilis, tooth decay.
Their effects can be rectified by taking
antibiotics and prescribed medication.
PROTISTS VS
PROTOZOA
PROTISTS VS PROTOZOA
•Protists are one of the five kingdoms of life. All protists are
eukaryotic -- meaning they have a cell nucleus that stores their
DNA -- single-celled organisms. Thus they are the evolutionary
bridge between bacteria and multi-celled organisms. Protists
are often considered animal-like or plant-like because they
behave similarly to multicellular organisms. Protozoa is
another name for animal-like protists.
 ALGAE
• Plant-like protists
• They are a large and diverse group.
• Plant-like protists are autotrophs. This means that they
produce their own food.
• They perform photosynthesis to produce sugar by using
carbon dioxide and water, and the energy from sunlight,
just like plants.
• Unlike plants, however, plant-like protists do not have
true stems, roots, or leaves.
 PROTOZOA
•Like all protists, protozoa are single-celled organisms with a cell nucleus. Some
have more than one nucleus.
•Protozoa are heterotrophs, which means they can not make their own food, but
instead must ingest other organisms for energy.
•Most reproduce asexually through mitosis, which involves the splitting of their
cell into two identical copies.
•Some reproduce through meiosis, which is sexual reproduction.
•Seven phyla (subdivisions of a kingdom) -- of protists are protozoa.
Protozoa and the Illnesses They Cause
• Some protozoa are parasites, which
means that they attach themselves to
another organism and feed on
nutrients within that organism.
Protozoa often manifest as a disease
when they do this to a human being.
Protozoa are not airborne, but are
instead commonly ingested through
dirty water. Examples of protozoa that
cause disease include Giardia
lamblia (which causes intestinal
disease) and malaria.
MALARIA
• Malaria is a life-threatening
disease caused by plasmodium
parasites transmitted by
anopheles mosquito or rarely
through blood transfusion and
sharing of contaminated
needles causing acute febrile
illness and symptoms in the
form of fever, headache and
chills.
• Untreated, P. falciparum
malaria may progress to severe
illness and possibly, death.
Giardia
• Giardia lamblia or
simply Giardia is a
common parasite found all
over the world.
• The infection is usually
contracted by drinking
water that has been
contaminated with the
parasite.