What are viruses? A virus is considered a ____________- an organism that lives off of and harms another organism.  The cell in which a virus lives is called the __________.

What are viruses? They are _______ living things. Viruses are considered non-living because they do not use __________ to grow or to _________ to their surroundings.  Viruses only do one thing living things do – they___________, but they are incapable of reproducing on their own, without a host.

What are viruses? They are very, very small. Much smaller than ____________. Viruses are so small that they cannot be seen with the type of microscopes found in most high schools.  Instead, scientists must use __________ microscopes to view viruses.  Viruses are much smaller than the cells they infect.

What are viruses? Viruses can infect almost _________ living thing (all of the kingdoms), but each virus can only infect a few types of _______ in only a few specific_________.

Naming Viruses Viruses are not named like living organisms using binomial nomenclature.  Often, a virus is named after the _________ it causes.  Some viruses are named after the person(s) who discovered them.

Structure of Viruses All viruses have two basic parts:  an outer _______ (head) and an _______ core. The outer coat provides __________ for the virus.  The coat is made of _________, and each virus has a unique protein that makes up its coat.  The coat plays an important role in a virus' ability to ________ to and infect its host cell.  The coat is what determines what type of cells the virus is able to invade.

Structure of Viruses The inner core is made up of a virus' __________ material.  It is this genetic material that holds the ____________ for making more viruses. The tail fibers assist the virus when it __________ itself to a host cell and inserts its genetic materials into the host cell.

Structure of a Virus

Virus Reproduction

Diseases Caused by Viruses ____________ Chicken Pox Common Cold ___________ Ebola Hepatitis ________ Measles Meningitis Mononucleosis Norwalk Virus ________ Rotavirus West Nile

Treatments ______________ don’t work against viral infections. _________________ help prevent some viral infections.

How do vaccines work? Most vaccines ______ the body into thinking it has been infected with a virus. The body releases its own natural __________ to fight off the phony viral infection. The body is then on “alert”. It will __________ and fight off the virus if it really enters the body.