•Viruses

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Viruses
• Viruses contain DNA or RNA
• Have a protein coat
• Some are enclosed by an envelope
• Some viruses have spikes
• Most viruses infect only specific types of cells in one host
• Host range is determined by specific host attachment sites
and cellular factors
• Virus requires inoculation in appropriate living host
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 Viruses vs cellular organisms

Viruses Cellular Organisms

• simple organization • complex organization

• DNA or RNA but not • both DNA and RNA

both (one exception) ------

• unable to reproduce • carry out cell division

outside of living cells ------

• obligate intracellular • some are obligate

parasites intracellular parasites

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Viruses

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 Virus Morphology

• Helical

• Polyhedral

• Complex= Combination of helical and polyhedral

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Helical Viruses

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Polyhedral Viruses

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Complex Viruses

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 Viral Taxonomy

• Family names end in –viridea

• Genus names end in -virus

• Viral species: A group of viruses sharing the same genetic

information and ecological niche (host). Common names are used
for species

• Subspecies are designated by a number

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 Baltimore Classification
• Baltimore classification (first defined in 1971) is a classification
system that places viruses into one of seven groups depending on a
combination of their

• Nucleic acid (DNA or RNA)

• strandedness (single-stranded or double-stranded)

• Sense or polarity of Nucleic acid

• Method of replication

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 • I: dsDNA viruses (e.g. Adenoviruses, Herpesviruses, Poxviruses)

• II: ssDNA viruses : DNA (e.g. Parvoviruses)

• III: dsRNA viruses (e.g. Reoviruses)

• IV: (+)ssRNA viruses (+ strand or sense) RNA (e.g. Coronavirus,

Picornaviruses, Togaviruses)

• V: (−)ssRNA viruses (− strand or antisense) RNA (e.g.

Orthomyxoviruses, Rhabdoviruses)

• VI: ssRNA-RT viruses (+ strand or sense) RNA with DNA

intermediate in life-cycle (e.g. Retroviruses)

• VII: dsDNA-RT viruses (e.g. Hepadnaviruses)

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Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings
 Hosts for Animal viruses

• suitable Animals

• Embryonated eggs

• Tissue (cell) cultures

• Monolayers of animal cells is prepared in tissue culture

flask, when there is virus growth, it will produce the
cytopathic effects (which are minor or major changes in the
host cells). It indicates the virus growth

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 Methods for Cultivation of Virus

• Generally three methods are

employed for the virus cultivation

1. Inoculation of virus into

animals

2. Inoculation of virus into

embryonated eggs

3. Tissue culture

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 Methods for Cultivation of Virus

• ANIMALS are used for studying viruses

which do not grow in cell cultures or eggs,
and for testing vaccines
• EGGS support a fairly wide range of animal
and human viruses – hence their importance
in the diagnostic service
• CELL CULTURES; different types of cell lines
will support different types of viruses

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 Growing Viruses

• Animal viruses may be

grown in living animals or
in embryonated eggs.

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 Growing Viruses
• Animal and plants viruses may be grown in cell culture.
• Continuous cell lines may be maintained indefinitely.

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 Virus Identification

• Cytopathic effects in cell lines

• Serological tests
• Detect antibodies against viruses in a patient
• Use antibodies to identify viruses in neutralization
tests, viral hemagglutination, and Western blot

• Nucleic acids
• RFLPs
• PCR

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 Hosts for bacteriophages

• Usually cultivated in broth or agar cultures of

suitable, young, actively growing bacteria

• Broth cultures lose turbidity as viruses

reproduce

• Plaques observed on agar cultures

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 Multiplication of Bacteriophages (Lytic Cycle)
1. Attachment Phage attaches by tail fibers to
host cell
2. Penetration Phage lysozyme opens cell wall,
tail sheath contracts to force tail
core and DNA into cell
3. Biosynthesis Production of phage DNA
and proteins
4. Maturation Assembly of phage particles
5. Release Phage lysozyme breaks cell wall

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 Bacterial Bacterial Capsid DNA
cell wall chromosome
Capsid

Sheath
Tail fiber
1 Attachment: Tail
Base plate
Phage attaches
to host cell. Pin
Cell wall
Plasma membrane

2 Penetration:
Phage penetrates
host cell and
injects its DNA. Sheath contracted

Tail core

3 Biosynthesis:
DNA and Protein

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 Tail
DNA

4 Maturation:
Viral components
are assembled into Capsid
virions.

5 Release:
Host cell lyses and
new virions are Tail fibers
released.

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 One-step Growth Curve

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 • Lytic cycle Phage causes lysis and death of
host cell

• Lysogenic cycle Prophage DNA incorporated in

host DNA

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 The Lytic Cycle Vs The Lysogenic
Cycle

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 Multiplication of Animal viruses
• Attachment Viruses attaches to cell membrane
• Penetration By endocytosis or fusion
• Uncoating By viral or host enzymes
• Biosynthesis Production of nucleic acid and
proteins
• Maturation Nucleic acid and capsid proteins
assemble
• Release By budding (enveloped viruses)
or rupture
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 30
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