VIROLOGY

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Aim of the course:
The course’s theoretical syllabus aims to introduce the students to the basic concept of virology and the study of viruses, according to their physiology and morphology, genetics, as well as their biochemical mechanism which binds the relationship between the host and the virus. Moreover, the effect of the viral infections, the viral active multiplication in host cells, pathogenesis, therapy, and prevention of infection should be apprehended, too. The purpose of the course is also the acquisition of skills in isolation, detection and identification of viruses using serological and molecular methods.

 

Objectives and expected learning outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to know and understand:

• The general molecular and biochemical properties of the viruses, their structure, the virioids’ structure, and phages’ structure.
• The methods used in laboratory and diagnostic Virology, as well as being able to practice the techniques and methods demonstrated in laboratory exercises.
• The epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis and the subsequent viral life circle which is related to selected viral diseases.
• The mechanism of pathogenesis and toxicity of viruses which infect humans and the mechanisms of human immune response and defense.
• The prevention of viral infections through immunization as well as the mechanisms of viral infection.
• The clinical and epidemiological viral characteristics and the diseases they cause at humans.
• The diagnostic virology by the application of a variety of serological and molecular techniques related to the transmission, detection, identification, isolation and quantification of the viruses.
• The modern methods of laboratory Virology in clinical trial.
• How to use general texts, reference books and series of other sources in order to acquire further knowledge during the abiding independent knowledge.
• The conduction of a set of laboratory exercises which indicate the development of practical scientific qualifications.

 

SYLLABUS

Lectures:
1. Introduction to Virology: General viral abilities. General classification and nomenclature, structure, biochemical properties and their study.
2. Methods used in Virology: Introduction to laboratory and diagnostic methods used in Virology. Viral isolation and growing. Centrifuging, structural studies of viruses and viroids (prions). Electrophoretic methods. Molecular methods. Methods of detecting viruses and viral parts. Transfection methods. Viral genetics.
3. Viral structure and transmission: Genetic material. Viral proteins. Capsids and viral membranes. Other viral particles. Viral transmission and host cells. Viral attachment and entrance in host cells.
4. Viral replication: Types of viral genomes. Polymerases and viral amplification. dsDNA viruses. dsRNA viruses. ssRNA viruses. Reverse transcription and reverse transcriptase. DNA multiplication. dsRNA multiplication.
5. Viral pathogenesis and oncoviruses: How viruses cause diseases. Factors that affect the result of a viral infection. Productive and non-productive viral infections. Defense and tolerance of human organisms against viral infections.
6. Viral classification and grouping. Most important (old and emerging) viral infections.
7. Viruses with positive single stranded RNA: (Picornaviruses: polio, hepatitis A, enterovirus), Astroviruses. Calciviruses. Hepatitis E. Togaviruses (mosquito-borne, Chikungunya και teratogenic rubella). Flaviviruses (yellow fever, dengue fever, hepatitis C) Coronoviruses (SARS CoV and MERS CoV)
8. Viruses with negative single stranded RNA: Orthomyxoviridae (Ιnfluenza A, B, C). Arenaviruses (Lassa and hemorrhagic fevers). Bunyaviruses (Hanta, phlebo, and nairo). Paramyxoviruses (measles, RSV, mumps, parainfluenza, metapneumovirus). Filoviruses (zoonotic Marburg and Ebola) and Rabies
9. Viruses with double stranded RNA (dsRNA viruses): Reoviruses, Noroviruses causing diarrhea.
10. Viruses with double stranded DNA (dsDNA viruses) and viruses with single stranded DNA (ssDNA viruses): Papillomaviruses, Palyomaviruses, Poxviruses, Herpesviruses (herpetic lesions, zoster, cancer and encephalitis). Adenoviruses (respiratory system, eye and gastrointestinal tract). Smallpox. Parvoviruses (Parvovirus-ssDNA viruses)
11. Viruses with positive single stranded RNA [(+)ssRNA viruses] and viruses with circular double stranded DNA (c dsDNA viruses): Retroviruses (HIV-1 and -2 and HTLV viruses). Hepadnaviruses: hepatitis B and D.
12. Other viruses: Bacterial viruses-Phages. Viroids (prions).
13. Applications in Clinical Virology: Laboratory of clinical Virology. Viral infection control. Anti-viral agents and therapies.

Laboratory exercises:
1) Introduction of the laboratory and diagnostic Virology. Virology laboratory equipment, Principles of Laboratory Safety. 2) Immunoenzymatic methods for diagnose viral infections (for example Infectious Monucleosis, the Australia Antigen of the hepatitis B-HBsAg, 3) Immunographic assays of antibody diagnose against viral infections (for instance Epstain-Barr Virus and hepatitis C virus) and accumulation assays (e.g. Adenoviruses). 4) Detection of viral compounds and diagnosis of viral infections with with protein immunoblotting methods (Western Blot Assay) (for example HIV-2 and HIV-2). 5) Nucleic acids isolation (DNA and/or RNA) for the molecular detection of viral infections. 6) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and real time polymerase chain reaction for the detection and/or identification of viral infections (for example HBV,HCV and HIV-1). 7) Identification of viral infection (e.g. HPV DNA) with restriction enzymes. 8) Cell cultures and spreading of specific cellular density. 9) Function of MSC II cabinet for laboratory experiments with viruses. 10) Plaque assay/TCID50. 11) In-vitro cellular infection. Inhibiting accumulation method. 12) Viral isolation and harvesting from infected cells. 13) Viral freezing and defreezing. 14) Genotyping/subtyping using bioinformatics or online applications on specialized databases. 15) Viral genome sequencing (for example the genome of HBV, HCV, HIV-1 or/and HPV) using Sanger sequencing and Next Generation Deep sequencing.