Department of Biotechnology

Virology BT4168

Polio Virus

L.C.J.Kamaral (056016)
L.G.N.H.K.Liyanagedara (056111)
Polio virus
 Content
• Introduction
• Structure
• How is polio spread?
• Life cycle
• Symptoms
• Who is most at risk of polio?
• How can polio be prevented?
 Intoduction
Polio virus
• Causative agent - Poliomyelitis
• First isolated in 1909 by Karl Landsteiner
and Erwin Popper

• Family - Picornaviridae
• Genus - Enterovirus
• Group - IV ((+)ssRNA)
 Structure
• Viral particle - 300 Å in diameter
• Shape - Icosahedral symmetry

• Composed of:
– RNA genome
– Protein capsid
 Genome
• RNA
Single-stranded
Positive-sense

• Genome is about 7500 nucleotides long

Poliovirus mRNA Translated as one long

polypeptide
Cleaved into 10 individual viral proteins
 Structure of genome
• 5' end
– Long over 700 nucleotides & highly structured
– Called internal ribosome entry site (IRES)
• 3Dpol- RNA dependent RNA polymerase
(function- to copy & multiply the viral RNA genome)

• 2Apro & 3Cpro/3CDpro - Proteases (cleave the viral polypeptide)

• VPg (3B)- small protein

(it binds viral RNA & necessary for synthesis of RNA)

• 2BC, 2B, 2C, 3AB, 3A, 3B - proteins ( protein complex needed

for virus replication)
• VP0, VP1, VP2, VP3, VP4 - proteins of the viral capsid

P1 Peptide Folded P1 5S Unit

Protein capsid
• Consists densely packed Polypeptides
• Three serotypes according to capsid
protein
– PV1, PV2 , and PV3
• Capsid proteins define
– cellular receptor specificity
– virus antigenicity
• Specific strains of each serotype are used to
prepare vaccines against polio
How is polio spread?
• Mainly passed through person-to-person contact
• Also enters through faeces of people infected
• Can also carried by persons who vaccinated
• Most people
– do not develop polio paralysis or other symptoms of polio
infection
– one in 200 people have symptoms & can become
paralyzed

Life Cycle
 Symptoms
• Symptoms vary according
to the type of polio
• Initial symptoms are:
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Slight fever
• Difficulty swallowing
• Stiffness in the neck
• Pain in the limbs
• Muscles weakeness
• 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis
(usually in the legs)

• Among them 5%-10% die when their breathing

muscles become immobilized

• Clinical polio affects the central nervous system

(brain and spinal cord)
Who is most at risk of polio?
• It can strike at any age
• Mainly affects children under five years old

How can polio be prevented?

• No cure, only be prevented through immunization
• Polio vaccine, given multiple times
• But,
– individuals can still contract the disease
– due to the failure of respond to the vaccine
Vaccines for Poliovirus

• Two types:
• Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV)
(live-virus vaccine )
• Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV)
( killed vaccine)

• Both produce immunity in more than

95% of people
Side Effects of the Vaccines
• Allergic Reactions
The inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV)
contains small amounts of streptomycin and
neomycin, so people allergic to these antibiotics
can also have an allergic response to this vaccine

• Paralysis
▫ It is rare
▫ occurred in people taking the oral live poliovirus
vaccine
▫ It should be stressed the risk is very small