Let's go Viral!

Which of the following statements ARE FALSE?

• Viruses come in many shapes; they look like corkscrews or spirals, spheres, and little lunar landers.

• All viruses use DNA as their genetic material.

• Viruses replicate using binary fission.

• Viruses are so small we need an electron microscope to see them.

All of the following are steps in the lytic cycle. Put them in the correct order:

Genetic material tells host cell to make viruses.

Virus injects its RNA or DNA.

Host cell lyses, releasing new viruses to other host cells.

Virus attaches to host cell, using a receptor on the host cell.

The key difference between the lytic cycle and the ____________________ cycle is that, in the latter, the viral DNA becomes incorporated into the host's DNA for a time. That allows the viral DNA to hide or lurk in host cells.

True or false? All of the following are pathogens or organisms that cause disease in humans: bacteria, viruses, infectious protists, fungi, and parasitic worms.

The immune system protects us against pathogens. Its first line of defence is the ___________ and mucous membranes.

The second line of defence are _____________ blood cells, also known as macrophages.

The third line of defence are ________ cells and B-cells that react to molecules on invading pathogens.

Choose the best, true answer from the list below.

• Antigens are molecules, like proteins, on the surface of a pathogen.

• Our immune system can recognize and respond to antigens.

• Our immune system learns and remembers how to produce antibodies that can neutralize an antigen.

• All of the above are true.

Antibodies are shaped like a letter in our alphabet. They look like the letter _____________.

There is one false statement below. Which is it?

• Vaccines expose the body to a weak or inactive form of a pathogen. This so your immune system can learn to defeat it, without harm.

• The word vaccine comes from "vacca," meaning cow. In 1796, a scientist noticed that milk maids who got cowpox were immune to smallpox.

• Vaccines have eradicated terrible diseases, including: smallpox, polio, and ebola.

• Vaccines cause autism.