flu+virus-+rebecca

7.1 (p.122-124) and Avian Flu p. 125 1.Why are viruses not exactly living or nonliving?- Viruses replicate inside cells which indicates they are alive. Viruses are chemicals which indicates they are nonliving.

2. Give some examples of diseases caused by viruses. Ebola, which causes hemorrhagic fevers. The west Nile Virus, which is a flu that comes from a bird or mosquito.Prions is the disease of the nervous system.

3. What is the basic structure of a virus? (The two parts and their function) An outer capsid composed of portein units and an innor core of nuleic acid.

Why are viruses like microscopic pirates? They are like microscopic pirates because they are commandeering the metabolic machinery of a host cell. Viruses gain entry into and are specific tp a particular host cell because portions of the virus adhere in a lock-andkey manner with a receptor on the host cell's outer surface.

Why are viruses considered parasites? They aare considered parasites because the parasite gets into a particular host cell because portions of the virus adhere in a lock-and-key manner with a receptor on the host cell'souter surface.

Why are viruses considered OBLIGATE parasites? They are obligated because they have to depend of the host cells. Viruses may have genes for special enzymes needed for the virus to reproduce and exit from the host cell.

Why do viruses ALWAYS cause disease? They always cause diseases because when there is a mutation, the virus is allowed to use a new and different insect vector. A disease can emerge when there is a mutation.

How do viruses "emerge" and "spread" each year? Give examples. Viruses emerge and spread each year by going to a place where it has never been before. The flu strain move from Southeast Asia to teh United states each year. The west nile virus is making headlines because it has changed its range, being transported into teh United States and taking hold in bird and mosquito populations. Viruses can emerge because of th einability of the immune system to recognize a change in teh virus- its new "face", which allows it to cause diseases.

What is a virus vector? Give examples,  Avirus vector is a vector tha transmits diseases from insects that carry diseases from an infected individual to a healthy individual. Diseases can spread on an air plane, and therefore when cleaning it you must portect your mouth and not breath in the disease. You must wear protective gear.

What is the relationship of bird flu to birds? The blrd flu enolved from birds.Birds become infected by coming into contact with teh saliva, feces, or mucus of another infected bird.

How does bird flu infect humans? The bird infects humans when a human comes into concast with the bird that is infected with that particular disease. Humans are eating teh birds and getting their genes in them, and then passing the genes on to other people. They eat ducks, geese and chickens.

What is a pandemic? A pandemic is the spreading of a disease that occurs worldwide.

Why is there fear that bird flu could cause a pandemic? There is a fear because the bird flu and flu virus could emrge and humans could get sick and pass it onto other humans. There is a virus called the hybird virus which is the bird flu and the fly virus together, and this new virus can easly be spread thoughout humans. Also a human could swap genes each other and could possibly have the virus. The virus could infect a different host species and swap their genes in that host species. Pigs are seen as the potential alternate host species because they are susceptible to both the avian and human flu virus.

What action can we take to prevent a bird flu pandemic? There are no actions that we can take to prevent a bird flu pandemic. They have not made a vaccination for the bird flu that has worked against it. They are testing many drugs now, and hopefully one will work and stop the spreading of the bird flu.