Viruses & Bacteria

I can explain the distinguishing characteristics

between a virus versus bacteria.
Recall the Characteristics of Life
 Made of cells  Respond to
 Able to reproduce Environment
 Contain a Genetic  Maintain homeostasis
Code  Change over time
 Grow and develop  Obtain and use
energy and materials
 Viruses
• Intra-cellular parasites
• Infect the inside of a cell
Are Viruses living organisms?

Tobacco
Mosaic Virus
T4 Bacteriophage Influenza Virus
 Virus
 Most scientist do NOT consider virus
particles LIVING
 Because:
– A virus can not reproduce independently
– They are not cells
 Only inside of living cells can a virus:
– Manipulate DNA or RNA
– Change over time
 Parts of a Virus
 Typically made of:
– Nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) core
– Protein coat/ capsid on the outside Capsid
Genetic Material

 Many different shapes

and sizes

 Many different host cells

Envelope Spikes
Shapes of a Virus
 Viral Infections
 Viruses are host specific: they can only
infect SPECIFIC cells
– Plant viruses
▪ Tobacco Mosaic Virus
– Animal viruses
▪ Rabies Virus
▪ HIV/AIDS
– Bacterial viruses
▪ These are called bacteriophages
 Common Viral Infections
 Polio  Rabies
 Small Pox  SARS
 Measles  West Nile
 Mumps  Avian Flu
 Flu  Ebola
 Cold
 Vaccines:
a substance that
contains a
weakened or killed
disease-causing
virus
 Two Types of Infection
 In lytic infection, virus will cause cell to burst and
virus particles will leave the original host cell

 In lysogenic infection, virus genetic material

becomes part of the host DNA and is copied, or
replicated, along with the host DNA
LYTIC & LYSOGENIC
INFECTIONS
 Unusual Viral Particles

 Prions:
– Infectious particles of protein
– Not quite a virus
– Only protein; they contain no DNA or RNA
– Thought to cause Mad Cow disease
 HIV
Human Immunodeficiency Virus

 HIV/AIDS is a retrovirus
 Contain RNA  copies itself into DNA
– Normally, DNA is copied into RNA
 Domain Bacteria
 Kingdom Eubacteria
– Larger kingdom than Archaebacteria
– Live in many different environments
– Occupy many different niches
– Examples:
▪ Soil bacteria  decomposition and N fixation
▪ Disease causing bacteria
▪ Skin bacteria
▪ Food bacteria
 General Characteristics of
Bacteria
 Cell walls and cell membranes present
 Have Peptidoglycan
 Flagella
 Pili
 DNA
 Infectious Bacteria

Methicillan resistant Staphylococcus sp. Salmonella sp.

 Bacterial Infections

Streptococcus pneumoniae
 Common Bacteria

Anthrax sp.
E. coli

Helicobacter pylori
 Common Characteristics of
Prokaryotes
 3 Basic Shapes
– Bacilli- rod
– Cocci- round
– Spirilla- spiral

 2 Basic Arrangements
– Strepto- chain
– Staphylo- clustered
Pictures of Bacterial Shapes
 Prokaryotic Cells
 NO NUCLEUS
 Most likely the first organisms to inhabit
the earth (Precambrian)
 Unicellular organisms
 Can be producers, consumers, or
decomposers
 Prokaryotic Cell Structure
 Cell wall:
– Made of  Two Types:
peptidoglycan – Staining the cell wall
– Maintains cell shape tells which antibiotics
– Protects cell can be used against it
 Two Types:

 Gram Positive:  Gram Negative:

– Positively Purple – Pink
– THICK layer of – THIN layer of
protein in cell wall protein in cell wall
DiploBacillus
Spirillium

StreptoCoccus
StreptoBacillus
Staphylococcus

Streptococcus Rod saped Ecoli

 The Pros and Cons of Bacteria

Pros Cons
 Key part of digestion  Disease caused by
invading tissues and
 Fermentation
attacking cells
 Some produce O2
 Disease caused by making
 Nitrogen fixation
poisons, or toxins, that
 Water purification are carried by blood to
 Bioremediation (cleaning the rest of the body
up oil spills)
 Strep throat
 Recycling / Composting
 Food: yogurt, cheese,  Dental Cavities
vinegar  Pneumonia
 Controlling Bacteria
Antibiotics
(Made by fungus) Sterilization
(Pasteurization; L. Pasteur)
 Chemicals that kill
bacteria by  Heat kills bacteria
rupturing cell walls  Chemicals used to
or preventing kill bacteria
protein synthesis