Viruses - Chapter 7

A set of vocabulary flashcards derived from lecture notes on viruses, covering key concepts, definitions, and classifications relevant to the topic.

Virus

An infectious agent too small to be seen with a light microscope, lacking a cell nucleus, organelles, and cytoplasm.

Obligate intracellular parasite

An organism that can only reproduce within a host cell.

Virion

A single virus particle.

Capsid

The protein coat that surrounds and protects the nucleic acid of a virus.

Viral specificity

The specific types of cells or organisms that a virus can infect, determined by receptors on the host cell and viral structures.

Lytic cycle

The viral replication cycle where the virus causes the lysis (breaking open) of the host cell.

Lysogenic cycle

A viral replication cycle in which the virus integrates its DNA into the host's genome and remains dormant.

Capsomeres

Protein subunits that make up a viral capsid.

Enveloped virus

A virus that has an outer lipid membrane surrounding its capsid.

Naked virus

A virus without an envelope, consisting only of a nucleic acid and a capsid.

Cytopathic effect (CPE)

Visible effects that viruses have on host cells, such as change in shape or formation of syncytia.

Oncogene

A gene that has the potential to cause cancer, often due to mutations leading to uncontrolled cell division.

Prophage

The viral DNA that is integrated into the bacterial chromosome during the lysogenic cycle.

Virophages

Viruses that parasitize other viruses and require a host virus for replication.

Viroids

Infectious RNA particles that disrupt cell metabolism; they lack a capsid.

Teratogen

An agent that causes malformation or defects during embryonic development.

Baltimore Classification System

A classification system that categorizes viruses according to their method of mRNA synthesis.