VIRUSES

Where did viruses come from?

Probable origin - started as bits of cellular DNA or RNA and then became independent - or that these viruses came along very early in evolution, and some of their DNA or RNA stuck around in cells' genomes.

DISCOVERY OF VIRUSES
Dmitri Iwanowsk (1864-1920, Russian botanist) - discovered the very first virus at St. Petersburg Academy of Science on the 12th February 1892 - studied mosiac tobacco disease, and found that the agent causing the disease was small enough for pass though ceramic filter that are small enough to trap all bacteria. This is generally accepted as the beginning of

Virology.

Six years later, 1898, Martinus Beijernick (1851-1931) confirmed Iwanowski's results on tobacco mosaic virus. He developed with the term "contagium vivum fluidum" which means soluble living germ as first the idea of the virus.

 The same year, the German scientists Friedrich Loeffler (1852-1915) and Paul Frosch, observed that a similar agent was responsible for foot-and-mouth disease. There was strong resistance that suggested these were not associated with human diseases.

Yellow fever was a devastating plague that was the first virus to be identified by humans. Yellow fever has killed over tens of millions of deaths in past centuries. Yellow fever was thought to be as a mosquito-borne infection. It was not until 1901 that Walter Reed (1893-1902) discovered yellow fever was caused by a virus. Once mosquitoes were identified as the virus carrier, the introduction of aggressive mosquito control helped to suppress the problem.

Frederick Twort Felix D'Hrelle

In 1915, Frederick Twort and in 1917, Felix D'Hrelle were first to describe bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria. Many scientists started to use their findings to investigate virus structure, genetics, and replication.

Alexander Fleming Edward Jenner

In 1928, penicillin was the first antibiotic to be discovered by Alexander Fleming. However, antibiotics cannot cure viruses and there were no drugs developed at that time that could fight them. Viruses are hard to cure because they live inside the bodys own cell, making if hard for the immune system to attack. It was not until the 1970s that there were drugs available to the general public. In 1798, the first vaccine against viruses was created by Edward Jenner against smallpox.

 In 1930, the first virus was seen by the human eye. New technology advances and the introduction of the electron microscope helped us to vaguely see what a virus looks like. Detailed identification and characterization of viruses began as better techniques at studying viruses and more powerful microscopes were developed.

WHAT IS A VIRUS?
Virus - Latin word meaning poisonous fluid.
Viruses were thought as to be the smallest infectious agent, but recently that position has been taken over by two smaller pathogens known as prions and viroids.

 A virus is a submicroscopic infectious particle composed of a protein coat and a nucleic acid core

 All viruses have at least two parts. An outer capsid, composed of protein subunits. surrounds an inner core of either DNA or RNA, but not both

Viruses are often considered non-living for several reasons:

They do not grow by increasing in size. They cannot carry out independent metabolism. They do not respond to external stimuli. They have no cellular structure.

Types Of Viruses
Viruses are classified by the type of nucleic acid they contain, and the shape of their protein capsule.

Icosahedral Virus

60 rotational symmetries/ 120 transformations

A H1N1 Virus

 A = Type A influenza virus HI = hemagglutinin. N1 = neuraminidase

Is the flu an active virus or hidden virus?
Active, for one, because it will inject it's genetic material. Then once new viruses are made, they will burst out and infect more cells.

T-4 Bacteriophage

Retrovirus
Retroviruses use RNA instead of DNA as their nucleic acid core. They also contain the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which will detranscribe the RNA sequence into a DNA strand

 Viruses, like cells, carry genetic information encoded in their nucleic acid, and can undergo mutations and reproduce However, they cannot carry out metabolism, and thus are not considered alive Viruses are intracellular parasites that can be maintained only inside living cells

 Viruses must carry out their reproduction by parasitizing a host cell They cannot multiply outside a living cell, they can only replicate inside of a specific host

The Lytic Cycle

ATTACHMENT = Viruses gain entry and are specific to a particular host cell because portions of the capsid (or spikes of the envelope) adhere to the host cells plasma membrane

The Lytic Cycle

PENETRATION Viral nucleic acid then enters the cell, where the viral genome codes for production of protein units in the capsid

The Lytic Cycle

REPLICATION

Viral nucleic acid takes over the cells metabolic machinery and starts to replicate

The Lytic Cycle

ASSEMBLY = Viral components are assembled into new viruses

Viruses and Diseases

Viral plant diseases can be controlled solely by burning those plants that show symptoms of disease Viral diseases in humans are controlled by preventing transmission, administering vaccines, and only recently by the administration of antiviral drugs Virally caused human diseases include the flu, common cold, herpes, measles, chicken pox, small pox, and encephalitis. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses

Diseases Caused by Viruses

- Influenza -Hepatitis A -Hepatitis B -NANB Hepatitis -Viral Gastroenteritis -Viral Fevers -Cytomegalovirus Disease -AIDS -Rabies -Polio -Herpes Simplex -Chicken pox ( Varicella) -Measles (Rubeola) -German Measles ( Rubella) -Mumps (Epidemic Parotitis) -Small Pox (Variola)

Vaccination
Vaccination is a term derived from the Latin vacca (cow, after the cowpox material used by British physician Edward Jenner (17491823) in the first vaccination in 1796). A vaccine stimulates the antibody production and formation of memory cells without causing of the disease. Vaccines are made from killed pathogens or weakened strains that cause antibody production but not the disease

HIV AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), This is a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to lifethreatening opportunistic infections.

 HIV primarily infects vital cells in the human immune system such as helper T cells

 HIV, which is thought to have first emerged in humans in the 1930s, is a kind of virus known as a retrovirus. These simple viruses is akin to elements found in normal cells that have the ability to copy and insert themselves throughout the genome a process that reverses the normal flow of information in cells, which is where the term "retro" comes fromand their central machinery for replication may be a bridge from the original lifeforms on this planet to what we know as life today. In fact, we carry among our genes many "fossilized" retrovirusesleft over from the infection of distant ancestorswhich can help us trace our evolution as a species.

TREATMENT
Treating viral infections are tricky because viruses live inside the bodys own cells, making it hard for our immune system to fight back. Viruses can also mutate, causing treatments that might work today, unusable for the future. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but viral infection cannot. Antiviral medicines work only when the virus is trying to reproduce in the body.

 Most human viral infections can be successfully fought by the body's own immune system. Proper diet, hydration, and rest are the best way to boost maximum performance of the immune system.

General instructions for treating viral infections are as follows: 1. Rest a body that is well rested will do a better job of fighting infections. 2. Water drink lots of water, at least 8 cups/glasses a day. 3. See a doctor it is recommended to see a doctor if a infection does not improve or new symptoms occur.

PREVENTION
Basic Steps for Preventing Viral Infection 1. Rest a body that is well rested will do a better job of fighting infections. 2. Vaccination get all required vaccinations to prevent viral infections. 3. Balanced diet eating a balanced diet will provide our body with the proper nutrition to fight infection.

4. Exercise exercise makes the body stronger, increases the energy level, and reduces stress. All three things help fight infections. 5. Stress stressed people are more prone to having infections. 6. Wash hands washing hands and keeping a good hygiene will help decrease chances of being infected.

7. Isolate sick people contagious infections can be spread from person to person. 8. Safe sex safe sex is the best way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. 9. Dont smoke smoking increases chances of lung infection.

VIRUSES CAN CURE DISEASES

New discoveries on how viruses can help people. (Cell Genesys in Foster City, San Francisco) 1. Curing Diseases With HIV - use HIV as a carrier to insert good genes into people who have diseases such as hemophilia and Alzheimers disease. According to research, changing the DNA of patients using gene therapy could cure diseases. ( by Peter Working, Senior VP of Research and Development )

2. Eliminating Cancer with Oncolytic Virus Therapy

( Oncolytic, "onco" means cancer, lytic meaning "killing)

Oncolytic viruses are genetically engineered viruses that work like any other virus; they seek to penetrate a host cell, trick it into replicating more viruses until the host cell bursts. Oncolytic viruses are viruses that only seek, infect, and replicate in cancer cells. They destroy harmful cells and leave normal body cells largely unaffected.

3. Brain Tumor Destroying Virus

- Naturally-occuring virus can actually destroy human brain cancer cells (leaving normal cells untouched). The virus is called Respiratory Enteric Orphan (reovirus) which is commonly found in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract of people. Lab tests show that this virus works very effectively, destroying 20 out of the 24 cell cultures. (Even more encouraging, 9 out of 10 mice implanted with
human tumor cells and injected with the reovirus survived for 90 days. The mice treated with live reovirus not only lived longer, but were also proved to be healthier. )

Today, modern day technology and medical advances are changing and advancing each day. Thanks to these new advances we have a better understanding of viruses and new techniques to fight viruses. There are still many viruses where a cure is yet to be discovered. However, with the new advances, hopefully well find a way to cure them all.

Prevention is better than cure.