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Flashcards · Biology · Health and Infectious Disease

The Life Cycle of a Virus

16 cards

  1. What is a virus made of?

    Genetic material (DNA or RNA) in a protein coat.

  2. Can a virus reproduce on its own?

    No. It needs a host cell.

  3. What is the protein coat of a virus called?

    The capsid.

  4. Why can a virus only infect certain cells?

    Its surface proteins only fit the receptors on certain cells.

  5. What are the stages of the lytic pathway?

    Attachment, entry, replication, assembly and lysis.

  6. What happens at lysis?

    The host cell bursts and releases new viruses.

  7. What happens in the lysogenic pathway?

    The viral DNA joins the host's chromosome and is copied when the cell divides.

  8. What is a provirus?

    Viral DNA that has been integrated into the host's chromosome.

  9. Does the host cell survive in the lysogenic pathway?

    Yes, and it divides normally.

  10. What can start the lytic pathway from the lysogenic one?

    A trigger, such as stress or damage.

  11. Why is a hidden virus difficult for the immune system to find?

    It is not making any viral proteins.

  12. Why do antibiotics not work on viruses?

    Viruses do not have the structures and processes that antibiotics attack.

  13. Which virus can hide in the lysogenic state and is not curable?

    HIV.

  14. How many viruses after 2 rounds if each cell releases 50?

    2500.

  15. What is the best way to prevent viral disease?

    Vaccination.

  16. Common mistake about viruses?

    Saying that they are living cells. They are not cells.