Topic 3 Flashcards
Name some microorganisms that are prokaryotes
Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, cyanobacteria (blue green algae)
Name some microorganisms that are Eukaryotes
Fungi, protozoa, unicellular algae
Are all cellular microbes infectious? expections
Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have many infetious cellular microbes. Exccept for Archaebacteria
Examples of non-cellular (acellular) agents? Are they all infectious?
Viruses
Viroids
Prions
Plasmids
Transposons
(plasmids and transposons can move cell to cell)
All non-cellular agents are infectious, but in some cases, the exact mechanism of transmissibility is not yet understood
What virus causes measles? How does it spread?
morbillivirus causes measles. It’s an airborne disease, which means it spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes or talks.
About viruses: are they self-sustaining, why do they reproduce within a susceptible (host) cell:
- Viruses are not self sustaining
They reproduce within a susceptible (host) cell: are an obligate intracellular parasite because:
- they have no metabolic or energy generating pathways
- they cannot synthesize constituent molecules (nucleic acid or protien outside the host cell)
- they are infectious (transmission between hosts)
- can use the machinery of the susceptible host to produce more viruses at the expense of the host cell
Whats the smallest particle/agent
A ribosome
Whats the largest
Pox virus, approx. bacterium
What criteria is used to group viruses?
- Size and morphology (consider presnence of envelop and organiziation of capsid)
- Host specificity (host range)
- Type of nucleic acid present in the viral genome
- Viral genomes consisting of single stranded DNA are divivided according to the “sense” of the RNA in the virus particle (virion)
- the disease or syndrome caused by the virus
Size and morphology (consider presnence of envelop and organiziation of capsid)
- Enveloped or naked
Do all viruses have capdis
yes
what shapes can virus capsids have
spherical, icosahedral, helidcal or complex (neither purely icosahedral nor helical)
Where are the virus specific spikes
On capsid of naked or evnilop
Where does the lipid come from?
Host membranes
What is harder to kill? enveloped or non-enveloped viruses
naked viruses
What is the capsid made of?
protein
made up of capsomer units
usually 1 protein/many subunits, repeating
What is the structural unit of capsids?
Capsomeres
Is the tobacco Mosaic virus envloped? waht is its capsid structure
its helical. no envelope
What makes bacteriophage T4 complex?
Icosahedral head (capid) + tail (no envelope
What determines specificity in viruses?
Spike proteins
Is corona virus enveloped? what is the shape of the capsid? What does its spike protein target?
Yes. Helical capsid
Targest respiratory system and gastrointestinal system (diareaarrer)
Is influenza enveloped? What is the nucleocapside shape of influenza? How many spike proteins does influenza have?
Pleomorphic?
yes. Helical
Influenza has 2 different type of spike proteins.
Pleomorphic due to having a flexbible nucleocapsid
Examples of viruses with capsids of complex symmetry
Pox viruses and bacteriophages
Elaborate on criteria used to group viruses: 2. Host specificity (host range)
The cell or organism that the particular virus can bind to (absorb), infect, and grow in (reporduce)
Bacterial viruses: (bacteriophage); E.coli virus
Plant virus: tobacco mosaic virus
Animal virus: human virus, avaian virus