Prions and Viroids

1918-1919

what years was the influenza pandemic

R. Pfeiffer

who was a protege to Koch and declared in a paper that a becaterium caused the flu? (31/31 flu patients had it)

Bacillus influenzae

what did Pfeiffer call the flu bacteria?

Shope

in 1930 who showed that a virus was causing the flu?

Haemophilus influenzae

what is bacillus influenzae now called?

NIH

what did Pfeiffers mid mistake lead to the formation of what agency?

capsules

what do some pathogenic Haemophilus influenzae type b have?

opportunistic pathogen

what type of pathogen is Haemophilus influenzae?

Mouth, teech, and throat

where does Haemophilus dominate in the body? Similar to streptococcus

Viroids

RNA molecules that infect plants. no protein or membrane, are replicated by host RNA polymerase, some have catalytic ability

Plants

what do viroids infect?

by host RNA polymerase

how are Viroids replicated?

Smallest

Viroids are the (blank) known pathogens

less than 400 nucleotides

how small are viroids

Prions

proteins that infect animals, they have no nucleic acid component, have an abnormal structure that alters the conformation of normal proteins

proteins

what are prions?

nucleic acid

what do prions not have?

DNA

If prions do not have nucleic acid, subsequently what else can they not have?

recruit proteins similar to themselves

How do prions cause disease and replicate without nucleic acid?

Prusiner

who came up with Prion Theory?

prions line up next to similar proteins

what is the first step in infectious prions?

shift in their tertiary structure

what is the second step in infectious prions?

brain cells become rigide and cavity forming

what is the thrid and final step in infectious prions? (leads to brain cell death)

TSEs

whst are the brain dieseases in animals cause by Prions called?

Kuru

a disease limited the Fore peopole in New Guinea

mourning rituals

how were the Fore people exposed to relatives brains and getting a prion disease?

Mad Cow Disease (BSE)

traced to feed supplements rendered carcasses of sheep and cows. Disposing of cows had to be done carefully when this was spreading

up to 5 years

what is the latent period of mad cow disease

consuming beef

how were humans getting cases of BSE

Chronic wasting disease

in deer and elk, infecting animals in front rage CO.

Sympatric rodents

where were deer prions found to be transmitted to?