BIOD 171 MODULE 6 ESSENTIAL
MICROBIOLOGY FINAL PAPER QUESTIONS
ANSWERS COMPLETE SOLUTION VIEW
AHEAD SUCCESS STRATEGY
●● What is an obligate intracellular parasite?
Answer: One that cannot replicate on its own, requires a host cell
●● What is a viral capsid?
Answer: a membrane like protective structure that contains genetic
material
●● What is the viral envelope, and what does the presence (or absence)
of it tell you about the type of virus?
Answer: surrounds the viral capsid, and serves as an additional barrier to
the external environment. majority of animal viruses are enveloped,
majority of plant or bacteria-infecting viruses are not.
●● What type of microscope would be used to study the shape of a viral
capsid?
Answer: electron microscope because viruses are so small
, ●● How does the viral envelope both aid in cell entry as well as hide it
from being detected by the immune system?
Answer: It contains necessary proteins required for interaction with host
cells. It's derived from host cell membrane, this camouflages the virus
and lowers the likelihood of immune detection by making it appear
similar to the host cell.
●● What must happen before viral replication of its genome can occur?
Answer: attachment and entry
●● Describe the basic steps of the viral life cycle.
Answer: 1. Attachment: Viral receptors bind to host proteins on the
surface
2. Entry: virus fuses with host membrane and enters the cell
3. Uncoating: viral capsid disassembles
4. Replication: viral genome provides the blueprint to make copies of
itself
5. Exit: New viruses are produced and leave the cell
6. New infection: Newly produced viruses leave host cell and go on to
infect new cells.
●● What is a bacteriophage?
Answer: virus that infects bacteria
MICROBIOLOGY FINAL PAPER QUESTIONS
ANSWERS COMPLETE SOLUTION VIEW
AHEAD SUCCESS STRATEGY
●● What is an obligate intracellular parasite?
Answer: One that cannot replicate on its own, requires a host cell
●● What is a viral capsid?
Answer: a membrane like protective structure that contains genetic
material
●● What is the viral envelope, and what does the presence (or absence)
of it tell you about the type of virus?
Answer: surrounds the viral capsid, and serves as an additional barrier to
the external environment. majority of animal viruses are enveloped,
majority of plant or bacteria-infecting viruses are not.
●● What type of microscope would be used to study the shape of a viral
capsid?
Answer: electron microscope because viruses are so small
, ●● How does the viral envelope both aid in cell entry as well as hide it
from being detected by the immune system?
Answer: It contains necessary proteins required for interaction with host
cells. It's derived from host cell membrane, this camouflages the virus
and lowers the likelihood of immune detection by making it appear
similar to the host cell.
●● What must happen before viral replication of its genome can occur?
Answer: attachment and entry
●● Describe the basic steps of the viral life cycle.
Answer: 1. Attachment: Viral receptors bind to host proteins on the
surface
2. Entry: virus fuses with host membrane and enters the cell
3. Uncoating: viral capsid disassembles
4. Replication: viral genome provides the blueprint to make copies of
itself
5. Exit: New viruses are produced and leave the cell
6. New infection: Newly produced viruses leave host cell and go on to
infect new cells.
●● What is a bacteriophage?
Answer: virus that infects bacteria
