Viruses and Prions

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to viruses and prions based on the microbiology lecture notes.

Virus

A small, infectious obligate parasite that requires a host cell to replicate and has genetic material that can be DNA or RNA.

Prion

An abnormal, misfolded protein that can induce other proteins to misfold, leading to neurodegenerative diseases.

Viral Lifecycle

The process that viruses undergo to infect a host cell, including attachment, entry, gene expression, replication, assembly, and exit.

Bacteriophage

A type of virus that infects and kills bacteria.

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs)

A group of rare, fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by prions.

Attachment

The first step in viral replication where the virus adheres to the host cell's plasma membrane.

Endocytosis

A method of viral entry into host cells through the inward folding of the cell membrane.

Gene Expression

The process by which genetic information is transcribed to RNA and translated into proteins.

Polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes nucleic acid chains from existing strands during the replication or transcription processes.

RNA dependent RNA polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes RNA from an RNA template, commonly used by RNA viruses.

Genetic Material

Info storage molecule for viruses and cells, can be either DNA or RNA.

Pharyngitis

An inflammation of the pharynx often caused by viral infections like adenovirus.