Disease

• What is the structure of a virus?

  • Lipids envelop
  • Attachment proteins
  • Protein capsid containing genetic material
  • Genetic material / RNA
  • Reverse transcriptase (not structure but is contained)
• How does reverse transcriptase work?

  • Creates DNA from RNA using RNA as a template
• What are viruses non-living?

  • They cannot reproduce or grow by themselves
• How does a virus attack the body?

  • Viruses attach to a host cell using attachment proteins that bind to specific receptor proteins on the cell surface
  • The virus then injects its genetic material (RNA)into the host cell
  • It uses reverse transcriptase to turn its RNA into DNA
  • The host cell replicates the DNA and produces more virus particles
  • This causes the cell to get damaged and burst