Viruses Notes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to viruses from the microbiology lecture notes.

Virus

An obligate intracellular parasite that cannot replicate without a host cell.

Capsid

A protein sheath that surrounds the nucleic acid core of a virus.

Lytic Cycle

A viral life cycle that results in the destruction of the host cell and the release of new viral particles.

Lysogenic Cycle

A viral life cycle where the viral genome integrates into the host chromosome and is replicated along with the host's DNA.

Tropism

The specific tissue type a virus can infect within a host.

Retrovirus

A virus that transcribes its RNA genome into DNA using reverse transcriptase before integrating into the host genome.

Obligate Parasite

An organism that cannot live or reproduce without its host.

Viral Genome

The complete genetic material of a virus, which can be made of DNA or RNA.

RNA Virus

A virus that has RNA as its genetic material, which can be single-stranded or double-stranded.

Zoonotic Disease

A disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Bacteriophage

A virus that infects and replicates within bacteria.

Phage Conversion

The phenomenon where the characteristics of a bacterium are altered due to the presence of a prophage.

Viral Replication

The process through which a virus reproduces by hijacking the host cell's machinery.

Envelope

A lipid layer derived from the host cell membrane that surrounds some viruses.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Newly identified infections or those with increasing incidence in the last two decades.

Prions

Infectious agents composed solely of protein that can cause neurodegenerative diseases.

Viroids

Small, circular RNA molecules that infect plants.