PM SHRI KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA

BSF GANDHINAGAR

BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

2023-2024

VIRUS-

SUBMITTED BY:- SANCHARI KARMAKAR

SHUVAMITA MOZUMDAR

DEBOSMITA DEY

CLASS :- XI

GUIDED BY :- Mrs.SUDHA RAO

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT :-

Many people have taken great pains to make this project a reality. First
of all I convey my deep thanks to Mrs. Sudha Rao(PGT Biology) without
whose guidance this project would have become nothing. Last but not
the least I deeply acknowledge the help given to me by my classmates
whose valuable tips and suggestions helped me bring about such a
project. I am deeply indebted to them for helping me collect the
relevant information from many sources and providing many diagrams
required to emphasise my project.

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 CERTIFICATE :-

This is to certify that Ms. Sanchari Karmakar of class 11 of PM Shri

Kendriya Vidyalaya, BSF Gandhinagar has completed this project under
my supervision. She has taken keen interest and have shown utmost
sincerity in the completion of this project.

She has successfully completed the ‘project work’ in Biology up to my

satisfaction and as per the guidelines issued by CBSE.

___________________

[Mrs.SUDHA RAO]

(Biology Teacher)

____________________

[Mr.Daya Shankar Vijay]

Principal

PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya

BSF Gandhinagar.

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 INDEX :-

SL.
CONTENT PAGE NO.
NO.

1. Introduction 5

2. Virus 6-7

3. Viral Infections 8-9

4. Major Viruses 10-15

5. Conclusion 16

6. Bibliography 17

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 INTRODUCTION :-

A virus, in the words of one eminent scientist, can be thought of as “a

piece of bad news wrapped in protein.” Unlike bacteria and fungi, viruses
are not living organisms; rather, they consist in essence of a length of
nucleic acid their genetic material that is surrounded and protected by a
protein coat. The genetic material of viruses is composed of one type of
nucleic acid, which may be either ribonucleic acid (RNA) or
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Viruses carry out no independent metabolism: they do not

respirate, they do not process nutrients, they do not generate waste
products, and they rely on living cells of the host for their reproduction. A
virusoutside a cell is an inert bit of particular matter; once inside, however
the virus seizes command of the cell’s biosynthetic machinery, converting
the cell into a “high-tech” factory for the production of new virus particles.

Many viruses eventually kill their host cells, resulting in the

disease and provoking an assault by the immune response of the host.
Sometimes, this response goes away, so that the harmful effects of the
immune response are actually more serious than those of the viral disease
itself. Other viruses provoke little, if any, reaction, and some can remain
dormant, or latent, in the host for years. The vast majority of all virus
infections appear to be asymptomatic in nature that is, the infections are so
mild and the host response so effective that clinical signs of disease never
develop.

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 . VIRUS – An Introduction :-

A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the, living
cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and
plants to bacteria and archaea.

Virus particles consist of two or three part: the genetic material made from
either DNA or RNA, long molecules

that carry genetic information;

a protein coat that protects

these genes; and in some

cases an envelope of

lipids that surrounds the

protein coat when they are

outside a cell. The shapes of

viruses range from simple

helical and icosahedral forms to more

forms to more complex structures. The average virus is about one one-
hundredth the size of the average bacterium. Most viruses are too small to
be seen directly with a light microscope.

Viruses spread in many ways; viruses in plants are often transmitted from
plant to plant by insects that feed on the sap of plants, such as aphids;
viruses in animals can be carried by blood sucking insects. These disease-
bearing organisms are known as vectors. Influenza viruses are spread by
coughing and sneezing. Norovirus and rotavirus, common causes of viral

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gastroenteritis, are transmitted by the faecal-oral route and are passed from
person to person by contact, entering the body in food or water. HIV is one
of several viruses transmitted through sexual contact and by exposure to
infected blood. The range of host cells that a virus can infect is called its
“host range”. This can be narrow or as when a virus is capable of infecting
many species, broad.

Viral infections in animals provoke an immune response that usually

eliminates the infecting virus. Immune response can also be produced by
vaccines, which confer an artificially acquired immunity to the specific
viral infection. However, some viruses including those causing AIDS and
Viral Hepatitis evade these immune responses and result in chronic
infections. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, but several antiviral drugs
have been developed.

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 VIRAL INFECTIONS :-

Viruses are microscopic pathogens, just a fraction of the size of a bacterium

that consist simply of genetic material (DNA or RNA) and a container.
Because they cannot replicate on their own, viruses invade host cells,
commandeering the machinery needed for normal cell function. A large
number of zoonotic illness (disease that pass from animal to human) are
caused by viruses, including rabies, ebola, and recently emerging diseases
such as avian influenza and the H1N1 “swine” flu.

Illness from viral infections can be prevented with vaccines, which prime
the immune system to attack and clear invading pathogens; however,
many viruses mutate rapidly, resulting in new strains that the immune
system no longer recognizes. Viruses also have the ability to remain
dormant within the host cell. During those times, the immune system is
unable to recognize and destroy the invading pathogen.

STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS –
Basic structural characteristics, such as genome type, virion shape and
replication site share the same features among the virus species within the
same family. There are currently 21 families of viruses known to cause
disease in humans.

There are five double stranded DNA families; three non-enveloped

(Adenoviruses, Parvovirus and Polyomavirus) and two are enveloped
(Herpesvirus and Poxvirus).

There is only one family of single stranded DNA virus that infect humans:
the Parvoviridae.

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There are two additional viruses (Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E) which have
not yet been assigned to a family but are clearly distinct from the other
families infecting humans.

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 MAJOR VIRUSES :-
The past two decades have seen this world experiencing several outbreaks
of viral diseases with an alarming regularity. Three major viruses being;
the Ebola Virus, the AIDS, the COVID-19. These have causes alarm spread
panic not only in populations that are directly affected but also in places
away from locations of these outbreaks

 THE EBOLA VIRUS :-

Ebola is a rare disease caused by one of the five virus strains found in
Several African countries. There is no licensed treatment for this
virus. The first vaccine for Ebola was
found on December 2016, the
VSV-EBOV vaccine which have
95-100% efficiency against the virus.
The African fruit bat (of the
Pteropodidae family) is considered
to be the natural host for the Ebola
viruses as well as the major source
of human infections. Endothelial cells,
mononuclear phagocytes and
hypatocytes are the major targets of
infections.
The GP form trimeric complex which
binds the virus to the endothelial cells lining the inferior surface of
the blood vessels. The GP forms a dimeric protein which interferes
with signaling of the white blood cells. These white blood cells also
serve as carriers to transport the virus throughout the entire body to
places such as lymph, nodes, liver, lungs and spleen.

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Being acellular, viruses such as Ebola do not replicate through any
type of cell division; rather they use a combination of host and virally
encoded enzymes, alongside host cell structures, to produce multiple
copies of themselves. These then self-assemble into viral
macromolecular structures in the host cell. The virus completes a set
of steps when infecting each individual cell.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE VIRUS -

ORDER- Mononegavirales
FAMILY- Filoviridae
GENUS- Ebolavirus

Ebola is one of the two members of a family of the RNA virus called
the Filoviridae. There are 4 different types of Ebola out of which three
causes disease in humans. The four types of Ebola virus are :

 Ebola-Zaire
 Ebola-Sudan
 Ebola-cote’d-lvoire
 Ebola-Reston

MICROBIOLOGY –

Under the microscope, Ebola virus appears to be single-stranded,

linear, non-segmented, negative sense RNA (3’-5’), coiled RNA in
spike covered envelope from host cell. Therefore, it spreads rapidly.

The virus appears to have spikes due to the presence of glycoproteins

on the outside membrane.

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 THE SARS VIRUS :-

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory

disease caused by a SARS-associated coronavirus. It was first
identified at the end
of February 2003
during an outbreak
that emerged in China
and Spread to 4 other
countries. WHO
co-ordinated the
international
investigation with
assistance of the
Global Outbreak
Alert and Response
Network (GOARN)
and worked closely with health authorities in affected countries to
provide epidemiological, clinical and logistical support and to bring
the outbreak under control.
SARS is an airborne virus and can spread through small droplets of
saliva in a similar way to the cold and influenza. It was the first
severe and readily transmissible new disease to emerge in the 21st
century and showed a clear capacity to spread along the routes of
international air travel.
SARS can also spread indirectly via surfaces that have been touched
by someone who is infected with the virus.
Most patients identified with the SARS were previously healthy
adults aged 25-70 years. A few suspected cases of SARS have been
reported among children under 15 years. The cases fatality among
people with illness meeting the current WHO case definition for
probable and suspected cases of SARS is around 3%.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE SARS VIRUS –

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 KINGDOM- Orthornavirae
PHYLUM- Pisuviricota
CLASS- Pisoniviricetes
ORDER- Nisovirales
FAMILY- Coronaviridae
GENUS- Betacoronavirus

Two strains of the virus have caused outbreaks of severe respiratory

diseases in humans:
 SARS-CoV-1 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
1) [2002-2004].
 SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
2) [COVID-19 Pandemic].

MICROBIOLOGY-

The morphology of the SARS-related coronavirus is characteristics of

the coronavirus family as a whole.

The viruses are large pleomorphic

spherical particles with bulbous surface
projections that from a corona around
the particles in electron micrographs.
The size of the virus particles is in
80-90 nm range. The envelope of the
virus in electron micrographs appear
as a distinct pair of electron dense shell.

 THE COVID-19 VIRUS :-

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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by
the SARS-CoV-2
virus.
Most people
infected with the
virus will
experience mild
to moderate
respiratory illness
and recover
without acquiring
special treatment.
However, some
will become
seriously ill and
require medical attention. Older people and those with underlying
medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic
respiratory disease, or cancer are more likely to develop serious
illness. Anyone can get sick with COVID-19 and become seriously ill
or die at any age.
The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well
informed about the disease and how the virus spreads. Protect
yourself and others from infection by staying atleast 1 meter apart
from others, wearing a properly fitted mask, and washing your
hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently. Get vaccinated when
it’s your turn and follow the local guidance.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS –

KINGDOM- Orthornavirae

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PHYLUM- Pisuviricota
CLASS- Pisoniviricetes
ORDER- Nisovirales
FAMILY- Coronaviridae
GENUS- Alphacoronavirus
Betacoronavirus
Gammacoronavirus
Deltacoronavirus

MICROBIOLOGY-

Coronaviruses are large, roughly spherical particles with unique

surface projections. Their size is highly variable with average
diameters of 80-120 nm. Extreme sizes are known from 50-200 nm in
diameter.

The total molecular mass is on average 40,000 kDa. They are

enclosed in an envelope embedded with a number of protein
molecule. The lipid bilayer envelope, membrane protein, and
nucleocapsid protect the virus when it is outside the host cell.

CONCLUSION :-

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 In this project I have learnt how the prevention of world wide outbreak
lies within the education of what the virus is capable of doing, how viruses
can be properly treated and by performing prompt action to isolate the
virus before it has dispersed.

Because of the nature and extent of international travel today, it is possible

that importation of diseases like COVID-19, SARS, and Ebola will take
place.

Comprehensive national programs for the diagnosis, management and

surveillance of such patients and their personal contacts should be
developed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY :-

 https://www.scribd.com
 https://ncert.nic.in

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 https://www.slideshare.net
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org
 www.nature.com
 https://www.cdc.gov
 https://www.who.int
 https://www.sciencedirect.com
 https://www.byjus.com
 https://www.toppr.com

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