General Virology

What the page covers

This unit sits in the Medically Important Microorganisms strand of Microbiology and immunology. It starts with what a virus is and moves on to individual virus families and diseases.

• Basics: the mind maps VIRUS and Virus Replication cover host preferences, taxonomy and how viruses multiply inside living cells.
• Families: the Herpes Viruses map lists HSV-1, varicella-zoster, EBV, CMV and HHV-8, plus virion structure. The RNA Viruses map sorts positive sense, negative sense, ambisense and double stranded groups.
• Diseases: there are maps on CHIKUNGUNYA, Respiratory Viruses and HIV + AIDS, and notes on Ebola.
• Phages: the Bacteriophages map covers gene transfer, phage therapy and phage display.

Where to start

Begin with the Viruses mind maps for the general features of viruses. They set out what viruses share with living and non-living things. Then open the General virology quiz, which asks you to fill in blanks such as the metabolic pathways viruses cannot carry out.

Moving on to families

Next, pick one family at a time. Read the Herpes Viruses map, then check yourself with the Herpesvirus quiz. Do the same for RNA viruses, using the RNA virus replication quiz. The Bacteriophage Lambda flashcards ask you to describe the phases of lytic and lysogenic growth, which makes them a good test of recall.

Using maps and quizzes together

1. Read a mind map and note the branches you could not explain.
2. Take a quiz on the same topic, such as Stages of viral replication.
3. Go back to the weak branches, then try a flashcard deck on the same subject.

Teachers can use the slide sets, such as Classification of viruses, as ready-made starting points for a lesson.

Make it your own

When you have worked through a topic, try building a mind map or a short quiz in your own words. Choose a virus family and see what you can recall.