Click and Learn
Virus Explorer
Student Handout
INTRODUCTION
ThishandoutcomplementstheClickandLearn“VirusExplorer”developedinconjunctionwiththe2016
documentary,Spillover:Zika,Ebola&Beyond(http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/virus-explorer).
PROCEDURE
FollowtheinstructionsasyouproceedthroughtheClickandLearn,andanswerthequestionsinthe
spacesprovided.
1.Let’sreview.Clickonthe“About”tabatthebottom.Readtheinformationandlistfour(4)waysin
whichvirusescandifferfromeachother.
2.Thisinteractiveusesseveralabbreviations.Fillinwhateachabbreviationstandsforinthetable
below.
Abbreviation
Description
nm
bp
ss
ds
3.Closethe“About”window,andlocatetheinexttoeachviralcharacteristictabacrossthetop.
Clickontheseiconsandanswerthequestionsbelowassociatedwitheachviralcharacteristic.
a.
Envelope:Notallviruseshaveanenvelope.Ifavirushasthisouterlayer,explainhowitforms.
b.
Structure:Whatdeterminestheshapeofthecapsid,orcore?
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Virus Explorer
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c.
Host(s):Fromthevirus’perspective,whyisthehostimportant?
d.
GenomeType:Viralgenomesmayvarybyfourcharacteristicsoftheirgeneticinformation.
Whatarethey?
e.
Transmission:Definetheterms“vector”and“zoonotic.”
f.
Vaccine:Whatisoneadvantageofbeingvaccinatedagainstaparticularvirus?
4.VirusScavengerHunt:UsethehomepageoftheVirusExplorerandthevariousviralcharacteristic
tabsacrossthetoptoanswerthequestionsbelow.
a.
Whatisonedifferencebetweentherabiesvirusandtheinfluenzavirus?
b.
Oftheninevirusesshown,whichistheonlyonethatinfectsplants?
c.
Whatarethreecharacteristicsthatadenoviruses,T7virus,andpapillomaviruseshavein
common?
d.
Recently,Zikavirushasbeeninthenews.Treatmentofitisofparticularconcern.Why?
e.
Whichtwovirusesinfectallthevertebratesincludedintheinteractive?
f.
Oftheninevirusesshown,whichistheonlyonethatinfectsbacteria?
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Virus Explorer
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g.
Listfourcharacteristicsthathumanimmunodeficiencyvirus(HIV)andEbolavirushavein
common.(Bespecific.)
h.
ListfourcharacteristicsthatHIVandEbolavirusdonotshare.(Bespecific.)
5.Locatethe+nexttoeachvirusname.Clickontheseiconsandanswerthequestionsbelow
associatedwithselectedviruses.
a.
Rabiesvirus:Peopleoftenassociaterabiesviruswithdogs.Whyisthisincomplete?
b.
Influenzavirus:Influenzavirushasasegmentedgenome.Whyisthisanadvantageforthevirus?
c.
HIV:HIVinfectsimmunecells.Whyisthisadisadvantagetotheinfectedperson?
d.
HIV:WhereintheworldisHIVmostprevalent?
e.
Adenovirus:Adenovirusescancausemanymildclinicalconditionsinhumans.Whatarethree?
f.
Papillomavirus:Whatisthecommonnameforpapillomas?
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Virus Explorer
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g.
Papillomavirus:Whatkindofsymptomsdosomehumanpapillomavirusescause?
h.
Zikavirus:WhyisZikavirusofgreatconcerntopregnantwomen?
i.
Tobaccomosaicvirus(TMV):Nameoneuniquecharacteristicofthetobaccomosaicvirus.
j.
Ebolavirus:WhatanimalisassociatedwithEbolavirusoutbreaks?
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Virus Explorer
Student Handout
EXTENSIONACTIVITY:SIZE,SCALE,ANDPROPORTION:HOWBIGISAVIRUSANYWAY?
Instructions:Clickonthe“ShowRelativeSizesoftheViruses”tabatthebottomoftheinteractivehome
page.Answerthequestionsbelowinthespacesprovided.(Youwillneedacalculatorforsomeitems.)
1.Usingthewhitescalebarprovided,approximatelyhowlong(tall)isTMV?
2.WhatistheapproximatediameterofHIV?
3.WhatistheapproximatediameterofZikavirus?
4.So,howbigisananometer?StudythesampleproblemprovidedandthenanswerQuestions5–10,
showingyourworkinthespaceprovidedforeach.
SampleProblem
Anaveragesmallpaperclipmeasures3.0cminlength.
Calculatethelengthofthepaperclipinmillimeters,micrometers,andnanometers.
a. Millimeters(mm)? 30mm
Sincethereare10mminacentimeter,thecalculationiscompletedinthefollowingway:
3.0cmx10mm/1cm=30/1=30mm
b. Micrometers(µm)?30,000µm
Sincethereare1000µminamillimeter,thecalculationiscompletedinthefollowingway:
30mmx1000µm/1mm=30,000µm
c. Nanometers(nm)? 30,000,000nm
Sincethereare1000nminamicrometer(µm),thecalculationiscompletedinthefollowing
way: 30,000µmx1000nm/1µm=30,000,000nm
So,asmallpaperclipmeasures3.0cminlength,oryoucansayitmeasures30,000,000nmin
length!
5.Asinglegrainofsaltmeasures0.5mminwidth.
a.
Whatisthewidthinmicrometers(µm)?(Showyourwork.)
b.
Innanometers(nm)?(Showyourwork.)
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Virus Explorer
Student Handout
6.Theaveragehumanskincellmeasures30µmindiameter.
a.
Whatisthediameterinmillimeters(mm)?(Showyourwork.)
b.
Innanometers(nm)?(Showyourwork.)
7.Ifyoulineduphumanskincellsside-by-side,howmanywouldfitalongthelengthofthepaperclipin
thesampleproblemabove?Justifyyouranswerwithmath.
8.Usingyourresponsetoitem1above,ifyoulinedupTMVparticlesendtoend,howmanywouldfit
alongthelengthofthesamepaperclip?Justifyyouranswerwithmath.
9.Usingyourresponsestoitem6,ifyoulinedupTMVparticlesendtoend,howmanywouldfitacross
thediameteroftheaveragehumanskincell?Justifyyouranswerwithmath.
10.Claim:Anindividualvirusdocksonthesurfaceofacell,infectsit,hijacksthecellularmachinery
inside,andreplicatesitself,sometimesthousandsoftimes.
Justification:Basedonwhatyoulearnedaboutsize,scale,andthecomponentpartsofavirus,justify
withscientificreasoninghowavirusisabletoaccomplishthis.
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