Basic Virology
Amador keeps an eye on COVID-19 information amid the epidemic period to ensure all staff are well prepared in self-protection regardless of virus outbreak. Amador’s experts leverage the medical expertise and have conducted multiple online trainings on COVID-19 public science and approches to prevention. By knowing the virus itself better, we can treat the noval coronavirus in a scientific way.
01 WHAT IS A VIRUS?
- A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism.
- Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria.
- Viruses will typically only infect specific hosts and only specific cell types within those hosts.
- Viruses can only replicate inside the cells of another organism.
Characteristics of Virus
- Infectious, acellular pathogens
- Obligate intracellular parasites with host and cell-type specificity
- DNA or RNA genome (never both)
- Lack genes for many products needed for successful reproduction, requiring exploitation of host-cell genomes to reproduce
Structure of Virus
Classification of Virus
Non-enveloped and Enveloped Viruses
- Non-enveloped viruses: Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Hepatitis A
- Enveloped viruses: Influenza, Ebola, Hepatitis B, SARS, 2019-nCoV
- Membrane “looks” like cell, hides virus from the immune system
- Helps virus infect new cells by membrane fusion
- Enveloped viruses are fragile – Conditions that damage membranes, will damage the envelope (heat, freezing, pH change, lipid solvents, chemical disinfectants like chlorine & hydrogen peroxide)
02 VIRUS REPLICATION CYCLE
- Attachment
- Penetration
- Uncoating
- Replication
- Assembly
- Release
- Lysis
- Lysogeny
- Budding
Cytopathic Effects
The range of structural and biochemical effects on the host cell
- Cell death (cell lysis/apoptosis)
- Cell proliferation (EBV)
- Cancer (HPV)