Chapter 25

The RNA Virus Diseases

Contents

I.     Critical Thinking Questions
II.    Technical Terms
III.    Internet Sites to Search

I. Critical Thinking Questions

Define RNA viruses
How many families are within the animal RNA viruses?
Basis of classification
List 6 major diseases caused by RNA viruses
Name of special suits that microbiologists wear when examining dangerous viruses
Draw an enveloped virus
Draw a naked virus
Draw an enveloped virus, show spikes and the different ways RNA can occur
Draw a naked virus and show the different ways RNA can occur
Do non-enveloped viruses have spikes? If so, show them
Main characteristics of Orthomyxoviruses
Function of neuraminidase
Function of hemgglutinin
Has the genome of the influenza virus an ability to frequently mutate?
What is antigenic shift?
What is antigenic drift?
Origin of the word 'influenza'
List the six pandemics of influenza during the 20^th century
How many people died during 1918 due to flu? Worldwide vs. USA
How is the flu transmitted?
What is the overall mortality rate of influenza?
List bacterial species that team up with the virus of influenza
Explain a program of therapy for influenza
List the two sequelae associated with influenza vaccines
Are vaccine for the flu virus effective?
Main characteristics of Bunyaviruses
What type of diseases are produced by Bunyaviruses
Are encephalitis and hemorrhagic fevers spread by mosquitos?
Main characteristics of Arenavirus
What kind of virus produce measles?
Difference among measles, red measles and rubeola
Is German measles (rubella) the same as measles?
How is the measles virus transmitted?
Define syncytium
What virus produce mumps?
How many serological types do the mumps virus have?
Explain the complications that a human may have with the mumps
Explain the program of vaccination against measles
Main characteristics of Rhabdoviruses
What kind of virus produce rabies?
How many viruses are represented in the family Rhabdoviridae?
Draw a Rhabdovirus and show all its parts
How many cases worldwide are due to rabies every year?
How many cases in the USA are due to rabies every year?
List animals that may harbor the rabies virus
Explain the furious and the dumb stages of rabies
Can a person survive a rabies attack?
What are Negri bodies?
Explain what is the human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV)
Explain how Pasteur treated people to prevent death by rabies
Main characteristics of Coronaviruses
Draw a coronavirus
What is the agent of rubella?
Is rubella the same as German measles?
What is so dangerous for pregnant women?
What is congenital rubella?
List two serological tests used in the identification of rubella
What is MMR stand for?
What are Arboviruses?
List the major Arboviruses that affect humans
How are they spread?
Have a look at figure 25.10 and explain why these viruses are present only in certain parts of the world
What is encephalities?
List 4 different types of encephalitides
Explain what is yellow fever
Name of the vector of yellow fever
What is dengue fever?
How does it spread?
Is it the same as 'breakbone fever'?
What insect spreads dengue fever?
Explain a program of control for the erradication of the vectors
What does Flavivirus particles produce?
Characteristics of HIV
Draw an HIV virus and show its parts
Name of the receptor for HIV
What is reverse transcriptase (RT)?
Explain the advantage of HIV over the other viruses on the basis of RT
List some possibilities of AIDS transmission
Do mosquitos transmit HIV?
Number of persons presently infected worldwide
How many persons are presently infected in the United States?
Which region of the world is more affected?
Explain how HIV enters the human body
Explain using Fig 25.15 the evolution of the disease, the level of the virus antigen in the blood as compared to CD4 Tcells
List 10 other possibles diseases that team up in a patient with AIDS
List 4 medicines used in patients with AIDS
Explain present strategy to develop a vaccine to control HIV infections
Role of Vaccinia virus in production of vaccines with the spike glycoproteins
How can we protect ourselves against HIV?
Main characteristics of Picornaviruses
What do Enteroviruses and Rhinoviruses cause in humans?
Are they small or large viruses?
Explain the disease called polio
Is polio frequent in this continent?
How many serotypes do the polio virus have?
Is it neutrotropic?
How is polio prevented?
Explain the difference between the Sabin and the Salk polio vaccines
Explain what is hepatitis A (HAV) and how does it differ from hepatitis B and C
Where in the body does HAV concentrate?
Number of cases of HAV per year in the USA
Does it cause liver damage?
Morphology of Rhinoviruses
What do they produce in humans?
Explain what is a pocket and what is a knob
Draw the surface of a rhinovirus and show a pocket and a knob
Explain why the production of a vaccine for the cold is so difficult to get
Symptoms of the common cold
Are antigens of this virus easy to reach by an antibody?
Means of transmission of these viruses into humans
Main characteristics of a Reovirus
Why these viruses are morphologically important?
Name the two main representatives of Reovirus
Define spongiform encephalopathies
What is a prion?
Explain the properties of a prion
What is kuru?
Where is it more prevalent?
Explain what is the Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
How does it transmit?
Explain what is transmissible virus dementias
What parts of the bodies are more prone for infection by prions?
Latest theories on the morphology and origin of prions

II. Technical Terms

Aedes aegypti
Aedes albopictus
AIDS
Antigenic shift
Antigenic drift
Arenavirus
Argentine hemorrhagic fever
Bunyavirus
Capsid
CD4
CDC
Cold virus
Colorado tick fever
Common cold
Congenital rubella
Coronaviruses
Coxackievirus
Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
Croup
Dengue
Dengue
Double stranded RNA
Eastern equine encephalitis
Encephalitis
Enterovirus
Flavivirus
Flu
Genome
German measles
Glycoproteins
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Gycoprotein
Hemagglutinin
Hemorrhagic dengue
Hepatitis A virus
HIV
Icosahedral capsid
Influenza di freddo
Kaposi's sarcoma
Knob antigen
Knobs and pockets
Kuru
Lentivirus
Lyssavirus
Measles
Multinucleate giant cell
Mumps
Negative sense virus
Neuraminidase
Non-segmented RNA
Norwalk agent
Nucleotide
Orbivirus
Parotitis
Phlebovirus
Picornavirus
Poliovirus
Polyomyelitis
Positive sense virus
Prion
Prophylaxis
Rabies
Racal suit
Reovirus
Reverse transcriptase
Reye's syndrome
Rhabdovirus
Rhinovirus
Ribavirin (virazole)
Rubella
Rubeola
Rubivirus
Safety Level 4
Segmented RNA
Single stranded RNA
Spike
Spongiform encephalitis
St. Louis encephalitis
Syncytia
Syncytial virus
Togavirus
Translation
Trojan horse
Western equine encephalitis
Yellow fever

III. Internet Sites to Search on:

Dengue
HIV
Yellow fever
Level 4