Viruses are so small, they make bacteria look big! What is it?? A virus is basically a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) encased in a tough outer covering of protein Viruses ≠ Bacteria Viruses are so small, they make bacteria look big!
NOT Living! Viruses DO NOT: Reproduce Use energy Grow Have cell parts like organelles or cytoplasm Have cells Therefore NOT LIVING No Classification with the living organisms
What do they look like??
Types of Viruses Some human viral diseases include: HIVAIDS Chicken pox Colds Cold sores Influenza (flu) Ebola Measles Mumps Polio Rabies Smallpox Warts
What are they made of??
What do they do?? Viruses may infect eukaryotic cells like ours or they could infect a bacteria! First they attach to the host cell Then they inject their little piece of nucleic acid into the cell That nucleic hijacks the cell’s DNA and turns it into a virus factory making only virus parts!
Infected… The result… Cells fill up with viral pieces and EXPLODE spreading the viruses Sometimes infection will happen immediately Some stay latent or dormant for years
Defensive/preventative Offensive & Defense Defensive/preventative Offensive Vaccine – a weakened form of the virus Vaccination – giving vulnerable animals a vaccine to alert the immune system to the structure of the pathogen Good hygiene – practicing constant cleaning People Food Antibodies – proteins that attach to virus and alert WBCs to eat it! Interferon – chemical interferes with the manufacture of virus parts in an infected cell and non-infected cell Immune Response – bodies police force
Additional Questions about Viruses?