Biology Grade 12 - But have no chloroplast, so they cann’t make their own food.

UNIT ONE - They are heterotrophic ---some are saprotropic(saprobionts).

Microorganisms --- some are parasitic.
1.1 . Bacteria The saprotrophic – release enzymes to digest dead matters or substrate on w/c they
Types of microorganisms grow, and the products of digestion are then absorbed into fungus to help it grow and
Microorganism- literally means a very small (minute) organism. reproduce.
-are organisms that are too small to be seen by our naked eye but The parasitic – live on other living things, absorbing food w/c are digested by others.
can be seen with aid of microscope. Fungi- consist of organisms from unicellular to multicellular.
Microorganisms cab be, i. unicellular organisms that made only one cell. Unicellular fungi:- are like yeast, candida and Tenia pedis.
ii. Multicellular organisms that have more than one cell. Yeast (saccharomyces)- used in bread(eg. bakery saccharomyces) and
Microorganisms are subject of microbiology. alcoholic drink (eg. brewery saccharomyces ) making process.
Microbiology is the branch of biology that deals with microorganisms. Candida- is yeast like fungi that causes thrush in humans as
There are five main groups of microorganisms, each groups can be subdivided. opportunistic infection, called Candidiasis.
1. Protozoa- studied by protozoology Multicellular fungi- some are visible and others are microscopic.
2. Algae - >> >> phycology. Microscopic multicellular fungi - eg. Bread molds.
3. Bacteria - >> >> Bacteriology Molds are made of hyphae w/c is microscopic strand slender (filamentous) cell of
4. Fungi- >> >> Mycology. fungi that branches to form network mass called mycelium.
5. Viruses- >> >> Virology. Mode of reproduction of fungi
Protozoa, Fungi and Algae Asexual reproduction:-
Protozoa:- are found in kingdom of protistae. i. Budding –in yeast
- Consists of unicellular organisms that lack cell wall and chloroplast. ii. Sporulation-reproduction by producing asexual reproduction structure called
- Cann’t makes their own food, i.e. all are heterotrophic organisms. spores.
- Most of them are motile(able to move). iii. Fragmentation- breaking of hyphae into pieces.
Protozoans are subdivided into four based on their locomotary structure. Sexual reproduction:-
i. Amaeboids;- have locomotary structure called pseudopoda or ‘false foot’. - Conjugation (homogameous sexual reproduction), eg. Molds
Pseudopoda is protrusion of cytoplasm, sometimes used for feeding through
phagocytosis.
Eg. Entamaeba hisolytica – cause amoebic dysentery.
ii. Flagellates;- have flagella as locomotary structure that made of microtubules.
Eg. Gardia lambella- cause Gardiasis
Trypanosoma spp- cause sleeping sickness.
iii. Cilliates;- move by means of locomotary structure called Cillia which also
made of microtubules. Eg. Paramecium
iv. Sporozoa;- have no locomotary structures.
Eg. Plasmodium spp.-cause malaria
Fungi :- found in kingdom mycota.
- Have cell wall that made of chitin.

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Algae:- Found in kingdom protistae
- Consists of unicellular and multicellular eukaryotic organisms.
- They have cell-wall, that made of cellulose.
- They have chloroplast, so that they can photosynthesize food.
- They live in fresh and marine water body, so that they are phytoplankton or
‘sea weeds’, i.e. they are sources of food for other aquatic organisms and also
sources of O2 to aquatic environment.
They are classified into six groups
i. Dianoflagelata
ii. Euglenophyta; only algae that lack cell wall,
iii. Diatoms.
iv. Chlorophyta- green algae
iv. Rhodophyta;-red algae from w/c Agar is extracted.
v. Phaeophyta;- brown algae from w/c cosmetics are made. Shapes of bacteria
Excerpt phaeophyta, others are microscopic. (Are all bacteria the same shape?)
Bacteria have different size, shape and arrangement.
Size
Bacteria Bacterial cell vary greatly in their size and usually much smaller than eukaryotic cells.
-Are unicellular prokaryotic organisms. Their length is b/n (0.1) 1µm to 10µm.
-In prokaryotic cells, there is no true nucleus and membrane bounded organelles. Shape
Bacteria do not contain mitochondria, chloroplast, endoplasmic reticulum, etc. Bacterial shapes come in three main shapes.
Structure of Bacteria 1. cocci(sing. Coccus):- spherical bacteria
(What are bacteria looking like?) 2. Baccilli(sing. baccillus):- rod shape bacteria
- Most have capsule or glycocalyx, w/c is protective slime layers. 3. spirochates:-spiral or corkscrew-shaped bacteria
-Some bacteria have flagella; w/c is simple type. (Vibro: rod when curved into coma shape. eg. Vibro cholerae)
-All bacteria contain pili (fimbrae) around the surface of the cell, w/c use to attach on
other surfaces.
-All bacteria have cell membrane, cell wall (that made of peptidoglycan), cytoplasm,
ribosome(70’s), and DNA (looped and naked).
-The region where DNA is found in the cytoplasm is called nucleoid.
-Some bacterial cells have small circular self-replicating DNA called plasmids.
Arrangement
i. Coccus ii. Bacillus iii. Spirochates
1. Single(coccus) 1. Single(bacillus) 1. Spirochates
2. pair(diplococcus) 2. Pair(diplobacillus) 2. Borella
3. chain(streptococus) 3. Chain(streptobacillus) 3. Treponema
4. cluster(staphylococcus) 4. Flagellates 4. Spirilla

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Other way of classifying bacteria Gram-positive bacteria (a)
 Based on differential stain -have more peptidoglycan in the cell wall.
Differential stain- is a test that uses staining to classify organisms or organic material. - no outer membrane surrounding the cell wall.
Types of differential stain - not harmful except bacterium that cause tuberclusis.
1. Gram stain Eg. Lactobacilli (makes yogurt & buttermilk), Streptococcus, Staphylococcus
2. Acid fast stain Gram-negative bacteria (b)
3. Special stain- used to stain flagella and endospores. -have much less peptidoglycan in their cell wall.
Gram staining;- is a test for classifying bacteria and it named after Hans - have membrane out- side peptidoglycan cell wall.
Christian Gram. - the outer membrane secretes endotoxin-which is resistant to many antibiotics.
Gram staining produces different result with different types of bacteria based on - almost all cause more serious disease , and more difficult to treat.
thickness of cell wall. Eg. Rhizobacteria grow in root nodules of legumes, Vibrio cholerae,
1. Gram positive bacteria:- bacteria that stained purple and have thick cell wall. Bordetella pertussis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis
2. Gram negative bacteria:- bacteria that stained pink and have thin cell wall. Mode of nutrition of Bacteria
Procedures in gram staining technique i. Autotrophic – is two type
1. Fixation 1. Chemosynthetic –use energy from exergonic chemical reaction.
2. Simple staining by crystal violet, then all bacteria turn to purple. 2. Photosynthetic – use energy from light to make food.
3. Treating with iodine to form violet-iodine complex. Photosynthesis (photophosphorylation) takes place along the plasma membrane of
4. Decolorizing by washing off with 95% ethnol. bacterial cell.
5. Counter stain using secondary stain called safranin. ii. Heterotrophic – w/c are two types 1. saprotrophic
At the end some bacteria stain as pink, called gram negative. And others stained as 2. parasitic
purple, called gram positive. Mode of reproduction of bacteria
1. Binary fission 2. conjugation
1.2. The ecology and importance of bacteria
The ecology of bacteria
Bacteria are adapted to live everywhere inside and outside living organisms.
Bacteria live in various physical parameters based on the availability of light and O2,
as well as the pH, temperature and salinity of the environment.
On basis of O2 availability – bacteria can be
-obligate aerobes- that require O2 for growth
- obligate anaerobes- those which are inhibited or killed by O2, and which grow
only in its absence
- facultative anaerobes- which grow either in the presence or absence of O2.
On basis of temperature availability – bacteria can be
- psychrophiles- that live at very cold temperatures
-mesophiles- Those which flourish at room temperature (25 degrees) or at the
temperature of warm- blooded animals (37 degrees)
-thermophiles- those that live at high temperatures (greater than 45 degrees)

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On basis of PH: bacteria can be Contribution of Joseph lister
Acidophiles: prefers an acid medium eg. Lactobacillus acidophilus, present in the -Discovered disinfection processes. He showed carbolic acid (phenol), disinfectant that
vagina of post-pubescent females . Helicobacter pylori, cause gastritis prevent infection in bones during surgery.
in human. Contribution of Robert Koch
Alkilophiles: bacteria grow best at high alkaline pH. Eg. Vibrio cholerae, the cause
-He is called father of bacteriology.
of cholera
Large intestine of human contains large number of bacteria. Eg. E.coli - identified many microorganisms that cause diseases.
There are about 10 bacterial cells for every cell of human body. - provided koch’s postulate.
Importance of bacteria koch’s postulate
-cause disease in plants or animals. Human diseases caused by bacterial pathogens -idea that should always apply if microorganisms cause diseases.
include tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, gonorrhea, syphilis, i. the microorganisms must always be present, when the disease present. Should not
pneumonia, cholera and typhoid fever, to name a few. be present if the disease is not present.
- used in many biotechnology(industrial processes). The biotechnology industry uses ii. the microorganisms can be isolated from infected animals(host), and grow in
bacterial cells for the production of biological substances that are useful to human cultures.
existence, including fuels, foods, medicines, hormones, enzymes, proteins, and iii. injecting such cultured microorganisms into healthy host should result in the same
nucleic acids. disease.
-have great role in recycling of nutrient or biogeochemical cycling. iv. it should be possible to isolate the microorganisms from this newly diseased host
and grow it in culture.
The role of bacteria and other microorganisms in infectious diseases How microorganisms cause diseases?
Some diseases are caused by invasion of body by microorganisms. Organisms that Different microorganisms cause diseases in different ways.
cause disease are called pathogens. A disease that is caused by microorganisms Bacteria- cause disease by
infecting the body is called infectious or communicable disease. i. releasing toxin as they multiply to cause disease in the region of infection or other.
The bacteria that cause these diseases have special structural or biochemical properties ii. Invading and physically damaging tissues.
that determine their virulence or pathogenicity. These include: -Bacterial diseases can be treated with antibiotics.
(1) ability to colonize and invade their host; Viruses- causes by
(2) ability to resist or withstand the antibacterial defenses of the host; -Disrupting the metabolic system of the cells, the genetic materials of the virus
(3) ability to produce various toxic substances that damage the host. become incorporated with the cell and instruct the cell to produce more viruses and
-Germ theory of disease states that diseases can be caused by microorganisms, w/c finally lyses thecell as they released.
proposed by Louis Pasteur. Robert Koch, and Joseph lister are also involved on the - viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics b/c they are not true cells and live inside
development of this theory. the immune cells where antibiotic cannot enter.
Contribution of Louis Pasteur Fungi- Causes disease by
-disproved the spontaneous generation theory once and for all. i. releasing enzyme that digest the substances in the tissues.
-Discovered fermentation process. ii. physically damaging the tissue as hyphae grow.
-Discovered pasteurization process. iii. Secreting toxins.
-Discovered vaccines. iv. causing allergic reaction.
-identified some microorganisms. Protozoans
-Cause diseases in many d/t ways.

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Transmission of diseases causing microorganisms 4. Social disease- disease that result from social activities and may lead to socially
-The origin of microorganisms that infect other people is called the reservoir of unacceptable behavior.
infection. Eg. Drug addition, STDs, culture shock, etc
-Reservoir of infection- is any person, animal, plant or soil or substance in which an 5. Deficiency disease- results from lack of nutrients in our diet
infectious agent normally lives and reproduces. Eg. scurvy and kwashiorkor (caused by a lack of protein).
Method of Transmission Other categories of diseases
Eg. 1. Human beings- are reservoir of many diseases, such as commen-cold, 1. Multifactorial diseases-condition that affected by the interaction of many
diphtheria, etc factors. Eg. Artheriosclerosis- caused by aging, or deposition of fats on
2. Animals- eg. Chickens- reservoir of salmonella arteries and stress and depression.
Mosquitoes- reservoir of malaria 2. Functional diseases- caused by malfunction of an organ or system without
3. soil- reservoir of tetanus any damage or physical sign of disease in an organ.
4. water- reservoir for amoeba, cholera, leginnarie’s disease, etc Eg. Heart disease, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), ME (Myalgic
5. Food- reservoir for thypiod, etc Encephalopathy) or chronic fatigue syndrome.
6. Air- reservoir of pneumonia, TB, etc How are bacteria used in industrial process(biotechnology)?
7. contaminated objects- reservoir of HIV/AIDS and trachoma -food and beverage industry
Because there are different reservoirs of disease causing organisms, there are many -production of vinegar
ways by which disease can be transmitted. -production of antibiotics
1. Droplet infections (Transmit Cough and sneezing). Eg. respiratory diseases -sewage treatment
2. Drinking contaminated water; cholera, typoid, etc Food and beverage fermentation
3. Eating contaminated food; selmonella, listeriosis, etc Bacteria and other microorganisms have been used in manufacturing process of
4. Direct contact; Athlet’s foot and ring worm -bread, alcohol, Irgo(yogurt), cheese, etc
5. Sexual contact; candidiasis, STDs, hepatitis B, etc Production of vinegar
6. Blood to blood contact; AIDS and hepatitis B when drug users share needles. -Vinegar is a dilute solution of ethanoic acid in water.
7. Animal vectors; malaria, sleeping sickness - It is used in two main ways -to flavor food
What other types of diseases are there? -to preserve food
 According to WHO’S definition Health is a state of complete ‘’physical, Mental, -Vinegar is too acidic for microorganisms to grow and multiply, keeping food in
and social well-being.’’ vinegar is good way of preserving, w/c is called pickling.
 Disease is the absence of perfect health, or is a condition with specific case in - Vinegar is produced by fermenting beer, wine and cider for second time.
which parts or all of the body made to function become non-normal or work in - Acetobacter bacteria are used to oxidize alcohol in beer, wine and cider to
less efficient manner. ethanoic acid.
1. Human induced diseases- disease that arises as result of a person’s life style or -Vinegar is made in special fermenter w/c is filled with wood shaving and alcohol
working condition. Eg. Heart disease and fibrosis source is sprayed from the top.
2. Degenerative diseases- results from aging process during which the affected -the alcohol trickles down through the wood shaving, w/c are covered with acetobacter
tissues deteriorate overtime due to simple ‘wear and tear’. bacteria.
eg. Artheritis and Alziamers -As the alcohol flow down, the bacteria oxidize it in to ethanoic acid.
3. Genetic diseases- are diseases that result from action of mutated gene. - Air is blown in at the bottom to supply oxygen that bacteria need.
Eg. Hemophilia and sickle cell anemia - Vinegar produced at the bottom of wood shaving.

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Production of antibiotics -Genetic engineering become possible because of the development of three techniques
-First antibiotics is pencillin, made from fungi called pencillium notatum i. cutting gene out of DNA molecule using enzymes called restriction endonuclease.
-Antibiotics can be produced using genetically modified bacteria in huge special ii. Inserting and tie gene into another molecule using ligase enzyme.
fermentor. iii. Transferring gene into another cells using Vectors, such as plasmids, viruses, and
- Genetically modified bacteria are also used to produce gene gun.
–human insulin Once a gene has inserted into bacterium, the bacterium become transgenic or
- human growth hormone genetically modified bacterium.
- Enzymes for d/t industries
How plants can be genetically modified?
- vaccines, for hepitis B
Many crop plants can be genetically modified by inserting foreign gene into them.
Fermentors: is the bioreactor or vat/ tank, vessel in which fermentation occurs.
This gives the plants new traits, such as – resistant to diseases
- resistant to pest
- longer shelf life
- faster growth rate
- increase food quality
- Plants can be genetically modified in cellular levels during cell (tissue) culturing in
laboratory under controlled conditions.
- Genetic engineering of plants become difficult to biologist because plant cells do not
accept plasmid, as bacteria.
- Biologists discovered Agrobacterium tumefacein bacteria that regularly infect
plant cells.
- Agrobacterium, acts as vector to carry genes that have been inserted into bacterium
to cells of plants.
- But agrobacterium cannot be used to genetically modify all types of plants.
i.e. agrobacterium cannot infect cereals, such as maize.
- To solve this problem, biologists developed a gene gun that used to shoot the gene in
to cells of plant.
- Gene gun shoots bullets ‘tiny pellets of gold’ that are covered in DNA.
- Gene gun has made possible to genetically modify some plants such as maize,
tobacco, potato, carrots, apple, soya been, etc.
Sewage treatment
 All types of sewage treatment depend on the action of microorganisms to oxidize
How bacteria are genetically modified? polluting organic present in sewage.
By genetic engineering. There are two main methods
- Genes are section of the DNA of an organism that code for a particular protein. 1. Percolating filter methods
- Gene can be transferred successfully from one organism into bacterium, then 2. Activated sludge methods
genetically modified bacterium will now make the protein that its new gene code for.

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1. Percolating filter methods
- First sewage is screened to remove large pieces of debris and then stand in large
settlement tank to allow suspended matter settle out.
- The sewage is allowed to trickle through beds of stones, w/c covered by large
number of microorganisms(bacteria, fungi and protozoa).
- As the sewage trickles through the filter beds, the microorganisms digest the organic
matter and absorb the products.
- When the liquid reaches the bottom of the filter bed, polluting organic matter has
been removed.
- The treated sewage can be discharged into river.

The role of bacteria in an ecosystem

 Bacteria play role in recycling of minerals in ecosystem.
 Many bacteria are decomposers (they breakdown complex molecules into much
smaller molecules).
 Some simpler molecules are absorbed for bacterial metabolism, the other are
released to the environment.
 Elements that recycled, are carbon, Nitrogen, sulphur, and phosphorous.
1. Nitrogen cycle
 The element nitrogen is found in many important organic molecules in all living
organisms such as Protein, nucleic acids, and ATP.
 When organisms die, nitrogen contained by them made to other organisms.
2. The activated sludge method  Several different types of bacteria are involved in the recycling of nitrogens.
- First the sewage is screened and allowed to stand in settlement tank, as in The role of bacteria in Nitrogen cycle
percolating filter method. 1. Nitrogen fixation- nitrogen gas is fixed into NO3 that needed by plants to make
- The this is pumped into treatment tank, where protein. Eg. Rhizobium
i. activated sludge, rich in microorganisms is added 2. Ammonification- protein in dead organism and waste of animals are breakdown
ii. Oxygen is blown through mixture. to release Ammonium (NH+4). Eg. Ammonifying bacteria
- In oxygenated mixture, the microorganisms from added activated sludge oxidize the 3. Nitrification: Occur with two steps.
polluting organic matter. Eg. Nitrifying bacteria i. NH+4 Nitrosomonas NO2
- Some of the sludge formed is recycled to seed tanks. ii. NO2 Nitrobacter NO3
4. Denitrification - reduce NO3 into Nitrogen gas returning nitrogen into air and
reducing the amount of nitrogen in the soil.
Eg. Denitrifying bacteria – Pseudomonas denitrificans

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 2. Sulphur Cycles  Viruses are biologically Ultramicroscopic entiries that exihibit the characteristics
Sulphur is found in fewer types of organic molecules than nitrogen. of non-living and living organisms. They are much smaller than smallest
- is found in many protein bacterium cell. Most are b/n 0.01 and 0.1µm in length. i.e. they are at least 1000
The role of bacteria in sulphur cycles times smaller than the smallest bacterium and 1million times smaller than most
i. Decomposition- sulphur is released from protein of dead matter as H 2S, which give human cells.
‘the rotten egg’ smell.  Virus is simply genetic material (genome) contained in protein coat. They are not
Eg. Desulphovibro(Anaerobe) usually regard as living organism b/c they do not have the major organelles that
ii. Oxidation of Hydrogen sulphide- H2S is oxidized to release sulphur present in living organisms. And they do not carry out any of the normal
Eg. Photosynthetic sulphur bacteria (anaerobe) metabolic processes of cells such as respiration, protein synthesis, DNA
iii. Oxidation of sulphur – suphur is oxidized to sulphate ion. replication, photosynthesis, active transport, etc.
Eg. Non-photosynthetic sulphur bacteria(aerobes) Viral Structure
 If the population of bacteria that involved in Nitrogen and sulphur cycle were The intact viral unit (the basic infectious particles of virus)is known as viron.
reduced, then the cycling of these elements could not occur. There are two types of virons
1. simple viron(naked virus);-have nucleic acid and capsid
2. complex viron(enveloped virus);- have nucleic acid , capsid and envelope.

,
The major components of a virus are:
• Nucleic acid core. The nucleic acid core can either be DNA or RNA that makes up
the genetic information (genome) of the virus. RNA genomes only occur in viruses.
• Capsid. A capsid is the protein coat that encapsulates a virus and protects the nucleic
acid from the environment. It also plays a role in how some viruses attach to a host
cell. A capsid consists of one or more proteins that are unique to the virus and
Virology determine the shape of the virus. Capsid is made of repeating sub-unit called
1.3. What are viruses? capsomers.
 A virus (Latin name coined by Martinus W. Bijernick , in 1898, meaning ” Envelope. An envelope is a membrane bilayer that some viruses have outside their
poisonous fluid.”) capsid. If a virus does not have an envelope, the virus is called a naked virus.

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 Viral infection RNA replicase enzyme use RNA as template to make complementary new
Virus is an obligate intracellular parasite that can only replicate inside a living host RNA strand.
cell. They replicate solely by exploiting living cells based on the information in the RNA--------RNA---------Protein
viral genome. They have no metabolic systems of their own, but rather depend on the 3. Retroviruses
synthetic mechanism of a living host cell, whereby the viruses exploit normal cellular (RNA-DNA viruses)
metabolism by delivering their own genetic information, i.e., nucleic acid, into the host Contain RNA associated with unusual enzyme called reverse teanscriptase
cell. which use RNA as template to synthesis Double stranded DNA inside host.
RNA-------DNA---------RNA--------protein
Stages of viral infection of hosts
Depends on types of virons  All organisms store their permanent information in DNA, except RNA virus.
i. for enveloped DNA virus ii. For simple viron  DNA-virus uses RNA only as temporary storage.
(complex viron) (naked RNA virus)
1. attachment(adsorbtion) 1. attachment(adsorbtion) The difference between DNA and RNA
2. entry(penetration) 2. Entry(penetration) DNA RNA
3. uncoating 3. Uncoating - Is quite stable molecule and - is quite unstable and make frequent
4. Biosynthesis of enzymes 4. replication replicatevery accurately mistakes during copying
5. Destruction of nuclear DNA 5. Production of protein - is not very reactive with other - is ideal for storage of viral
6. replication 6. Assembly(maturity) molecules information.
7. production of viral protein 7. Release of the virus rapturing the cell  The unstable nature of RNA, allow RNA-viruses to evolve for more rapidly than
8. assembly DNA viruses, frequently changing their surface structures.
9. Release of virus budding through host cell membrane.  RNA viruses mutate more rapidly.
Classification of virus Viruses can be also classified into three based on the types of organism they infect.
It is difficult to classify viruses though they have basic structure, b/c 1. Animal infecting viruses
i. the great variations in their shapes 2. Plant infecting Viruses
ii. the great variation in the ways of infection 3. Bacteria infecting Viruses(Bacteriophage virus)
Based on nature of their genetic materials virus can be classified into three
1. DNA virus: eg. Herpes simplex, influenza, bacteriophage viruses, etc Virus multiplication or replication
2. RNA viruses: eg. H1N1viruses (swine flu), tobacco mosaic virus, polio virus, etc  scientists learned multiplication of virus by studying bacteriophage viruses.
3. Retroviruses: eg. HIV, SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus), etc  Most common studied are T-groups(phages) such as T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, etc.
 T-even(T2, T4, T6) are virulent that kill their immediate host.
1. DNA-viruses  T-odd(T1or lamda phage, T3, T5) are temperate, do not kill their hosts.
Have double stranded DNA  T-phages infect bacterium Escherichia coli, bacterium of human digestive
During host infection, the viral DNA replicates itself and can control system.
synthesis of protein as cellular gene.  Bacteriophage virus has double stranded DNA in its head part.
DNA------ DNA------RNA-------protein
2. RNA-viruses
Most RNA viruses contain a gene for RNA-replicase enzyme.

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 Lytic and Lysogenic cycle

Bacteriophage virus can reproduce by

i. Lytic cycle – caused by virulent groups
ii. Chronic release cycle- caused by virulent groups
iii. Lysogenic cycle - caused by temperate groups
Lytic cycle- causes lysis or rapture of host cell, b/c all viruses released at once.
Chronic release cycle- few viruses are released by exocytosis through the plasma
membrane at a time.
- release new viruses gradually.
Lysogenic cycle- viral DNA become incorporated with DNA of host cell. The viral
DNA that integrated to ho host DNA is called prophage, w/c is inactive. During
cellular reproduction, the host cells copies the prophage along with its cellular DNA.
After many repeated cell division of bacteria, prophage and cellular DNA pass into
daughter cells. But some factors of environmental constraint, triggers prophage
breakdown from bacterial DNA by excisionase enzyme. The excision process leads to
either lytic or chronic release cycle. HIV and AIDS
 HIV (Lentivirus) human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that often results
in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) This virus targets CD4 (T-
cells)of the T-lymphocytes.
 T-lymphocytes are WBC developed in the bone marrow, unlike B-cells,
express anti-bodies on its surfaces, i.e. do not secrete antibodies.
 T-cells help white blood cells that fight infection.
 HIV-has spikes on its surface, the head of spike made of glycoprotein known
as gp-120. One spike made of three gp-120 and gp-41.
 During infection gp-120 binds with CD4 receptor protein that protrude from
T-helper cells.
 Besides the T-helper cells there are other types of cells that carry CD4-
receptor on their surfaces(macrophages & other killer cells)

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How does HIV reproduce and cause AIDS?
After HIV has bound to CD4 receptor on surface of T-helper cells, the following
events occur:
1. It fuse (attach) with the plasma membrane, and then Viral RNA & reverse-
transcriptase enclosed in capsid enter into the host cells.
2. The reverse-transcriptase converts RNA into DNA using nucleotides of the
host cells.
3. The viral DNA becomes incorporated into host DNA and become provirus.
4. The viral DNA transcribed to viral RNA, which start producing viral proteins CD4
receptors, capsids, and enzymes such as protease and reverse-transcriptase.
5. The RNA, Proteins and reverse-transcriptase are assembled by the cells into new
viral particles that escape by budding off through plasma-membrane.
6. The viruses then infect other cells.

 Because the envelope remain on the surface of infected cells, they become
detected (recognized) by killer cells of immune system, and then killer cells
destroy infected cells.
 The cycle of infection, reproduction, and destruction of infected cells
repeated itself for as long as the body keep-replacing the CD4 lymphocytes.

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  Eventually the body will not be able to replace T-cells and the number of
free viruses, in the blood will increase dramatically.
 The period when the body keep-replacing the CD4-lymphocytes as fast as
they are destroyed is called latency period, can last for many years.
 Because destruction of T-helper cells (esp. CD4 count below 200cells per µl
of blood) the immune become compromised or weakened. Then the body
exposed to opportunistic infections in AIDS patients such as
- Kaposi’s sarcoma, which is a rare form of cancer,
- candidiasis,
- herpes zoster,
- pneumonia
- leishmaniasis
- tuberculosis

Can be AIDS treated?

 There is no cure for AIDS and no vaccine to give immunity,
 But there are number of drugs called Anti-retroviral drugs that can be
effective in slowing down the progression of AIDS.
 These drugs work by blocking the reproduction of viruses acting on different
stages of life cycle the virus in the CD4 lymphocytes.
 HAART(highly active anti-retroviral therapy)-is combined treatment that
uses different drugs together acting on different stages of HIV-life cycle.
1. Entery inhibitor drugs: attaches to protein on the surface of T-cells or
HIV to prevent the two from joining.
2. Nucleotide reverse-transcriptase inhibitor drugs(AZT): are faulty
versions of building blocks (Nucleotides), prevent conversion of
RNA to DNA.
3. Non-nucleotide reverse-transcriptase inhibitor drugs: attach to HIV
enzyme preventing it from converting RNA to DNA.
4. Protease inhibitor drugs: interfere with action of HIV’s protease enzyme
preventing the assembly of new viral particles.

 There is no AIDS vaccine because

– Viruses mutate regularly
- Viruses reproduce in immune cells themselves.
- Viral DNA remains hidden in host cell DNA for many years.

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