Medical Virology

CLS 413
Lecture (3)

By
Dr.Dalia M. Mohsen
professor in
microbiology

Classification of Viruses
Viral the level of order and follows as thus,
with the taxon suffixes classification starts
at given in italics:

Order

Virales
e.g.
Herpesvir
ales

Family

Viridae
e.g.
Herpesviri
dae

Genus

Virus
e.g.
Herpes
simplex
virus

Classification of Viruses
Most clinically important viruses can be classified
into groups according to their structural
characters into:

RNA Viruses

DNA
Viruses

RNA Viruses
RNA Non-Enveloped
viruses
Picorna viruses

- Enteroviruses (Polio virus

&Coxackievirus)
- Hepato virus
- Rhinoviruses

Reoviruses

RNA Enveloped viruses

Orthomyxoviruses (Influenza virus)

Paramyxoviruses (Measles, Mumps,

Parainfluenza)

Caiciviruses

Rhabdoviruses (Rabies virus)

Astro viruses

Retroviruses (HIV )
Togaviruses (Encephalitis viruses)
Flaviviruses (Yellow fever ,Dengue,
HCV)
Bunyaviruses
Filoviruses
Arenaviruses

DNA Viruses
DNA Non-Enveloped
viruses
Herpes viruses
- HSV 1&2
- Varicella
- CMV

Hepadna virus (HBV)

Pox viruses (Smallpox,
Cowpox)

DNA Enveloped
viruses
Adenoviruses

Papiloma virus
Parvoviruses
Polyomaviruses

How Virus Causes Disease

Viruses cause disease after they:

break through the natural protective barriers of

the body.

evade immune control.

kill cells of an important tissue.
Viral and host factors govern the severity of
the disease they include:
The strain of virus
The inoculums size
The general health of the infected person

Basic step of virus disease

Entry into the body.

Initiation of infection at a primary site.
Activation of innate protections.
An incubation period, when the virus is amplified
and may spread to a secondary signs.

Immune responses that limit and contribute to

the disease.

The symptoms of the disease are caused by

tissue damage and systemic effects caused by
the virus and the immune system.

The body repairs the damage.

Virus production in a tissue that release the virus
to other people.

Virus Causes
Disease

Virus Causes Disease

Group

Example

Picornaviruses(1)

Polioviruses

Orthomyxoviruses(2)

Influenza viruses

Arthropod born( 3)
viruses
Paramyxoviruses( 4)

Dengue Virus
measles

Retroviridae(5)

AIDS

Hepatitis virus(6)

(HAV, HBV, HCV)

Polioviruses
They cause poliomyelitis which in its full blow
picture affects the CNS and causes paralysis.
Man is the only natural host.
PROPERTIES OF THE VIRUS:
1. It is an icosahedral
2. Non- enveloped virus
3. The genome is a positive sense single
stranded RNA.

Pathogenesis of Polioviruses
Infection occurs by the ingestion of food or drink
contaminated by stools of cases or carriers.
Incubation period is 7-14 days.
The organism multiplies in the oropharynx
(tonsils) then patches in the intestine and
excreted in stools.
Infection may stop at this stage i.e. in apparent
infection.
Infection may continue and the virus passes to
the deep cervical and deep mesenteric lymph
nodes then it invades the blood stream. Viremia
is associated with mild symptoms of fever,
headache, nausea, and vomiting. The disease

PARALYTIC
POLIOMYELITIS:
Occurs only in 0.1-1% of
cases. The virus affects
the anterior horn cells of
the spinal cord leading to
paralysis.
In severe cases, it may
affect the posterior horn
cells, the vestibular nuclei
and motor cortex. Death
may
occur
due
to
respiratory paralysis.
No permanent
carrier
state occurs, but virus
excretion in stools can

Diagnosis of Polioviruses:
1. Isolation of the virus
from (stools, throat
swab, blood, CS) in cell
culture.
Cytopathic
effect
appear
in
positive cases.
2. Detection of antibody
by ELISA test.
3. Specific viral RNA can
be
identified
by
hybridization or PCR.

Influenza viruses
Three types of influenza virus are known; A, B
and C.
Type A viruses infect humans and several types
of animals, including birds, pigs, and horses.
Type B influenza is normally found only in
humans.
Type C is mostly found in humans, but has also
been found in pigs and dogs.

Structure of Influenza
Viruses
Influenza virus is
a single stranded segmented
RNA virus (gene segments).
The nucleocapside is helical and is surrounded
by a lipoprotein envelope
The envelope is covered with two glycoprotein
spikes,
haemagglutinin(HA)
and
a
neuraminidase(NA).
HA binds to the cell surface receptor (sialic acid)
to initiate infection.
Changes in HA and NA determine the
antigenicity of the virus and according to which
influenza A virus includes 16 HA and 9 NA
subtypes that are circulating in birds, human,

Influenza viruses
THE MOST FAMOUS
SUBTYPES OF INFLUENZA
A VIRUS ARE:
A(H1N1)
Circulating
in
humans and is causing the
2009 influenza pandemic
(Swine flu)
A(H5N1)
circulating
in
birds causing avian flu and
infecting
humans
who
closely handle infected

Influenza viruses
ANTIGENIC VARIATION:
Is a common phenomenon in influenza viruses due
to change in HA and NA. There are two type:
1. Antigenic drifts: These are minor changes due
to mutation, resulting in the strains that cause
yearly outbreak.
2. Antigenic shifts: These are major changes due
to reassortment of gene segments. This occurs
when cell is infected simultaneously with two
different influenza A viruses( e.g. an avian and a
human influenza A virus) mixtures of parental
gene segments may be assembled into progeny
virions, resulting in a new variant of human
influenza A virus

Virus shift can take place when a person or animal is

infected with two different subtypes of influenza..

Pathogenesis of influenza
virus

Infection occurs by inhalation of airborne droplets.

The neuraminidase of the inhaled virus degrades
the protective mucous layer, allowing the virus to
reach the mucous

membrane of the respiratory

tract
The incubation period is short 1-4 days.
SYMPTOMS:
fever
Headache
Dry cough
Anorexia

Thank
you