The course combines lectures, laboratory activities, discussion groups and seminars. The content of the lecture is integrated with laboratory experiments/discussion and/or seminars and with the textbook and scientific journal articles.
1. Introduction
- discovery of viruses
- history of virological methods
- importance of viruses through time
2. Viral morphology, structure, classification and taxonomy
- obligate intracellular nature of viruses
- status of viruses as living organisms
- case of location on the tree of life
- basic viral components (structure & morphology)
- viral classification (historical and modern)
- viral taxonomy
3. Viral replication and the different ‘life’ cycles
- entry into host cells
- replication of ss(+) RNA, ss (-) RNA, ds RNA, ss DNA, ds DNA and retroviruses
- viral assembly
- viral release
- lysogenic and latent ‘life’ cycles
4. Viral diversity
- morphological and structural viral diversity
- genetic diversity
- functional diversity
- mechanisms that maintain this diversity (horizontal gene transfer, etc.)
5. Viral evolution
- horizontal gene transfer
- antigenic structures
- red-queen hypothesis
- CRISPRs
6. Types of viruses
- bacteriophage
- archaeal viruses
- giruses
- plant viruses
- animal viruses (including zoonotic viruses)
7. Viral ecology
- viruses in the environment
- role in nutrient recycling (viral shunt)
- significant source of mortality
- control of population dynamics
- impacts of climate change
8. Industrial uses of viruses
- agriculture uses
- biological control (e.g. cyanobacteria blooms)
- concerns in the production of biofuels, cheese, etc.
9. Human-viral interactions
- emerging viruses
- epidemiology, socio-economic impacts (using HIV as a case study)
- vaccines
- co-evolution arms race and its role in developing host immunity
- cancer
10. Other acellular components
- viroids
- prions
- viruses of viruses
11. Reading primary literature and researching project topics
- critical reading of current primary literature
- researching a term project topic
- oral and written presentation
12. Laboratory
- laboratory operations and safety
- laboratory reporting techniques
- aseptic techniques
- isolation
- enumeration via plaques and epifluorescence microscopy
- basic bacteriophage genome analysis
- single step growth curves of viruses (cyanophage)
- prophage induction
- viral fingerprinting (PCR-DGGE or PFGE)
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to
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describe the history of virology
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illustrate how viruses are studied using both lab-based and computer-based techniques
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explain viral morphology, classification and taxonomy
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compare and contrast viral structure and replication
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use examples to demonstrate the various viral ‘life’ cycles
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describe viral diversity
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explain and assess the relative importance of the mechanisms that maintain viral diversity (i.e. viral evolution and immunity)
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compare and contrast bacteriophage as well as archaeal, plant and animal viruses, and giruses
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describe the important ecological role of viruses
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explain the industrial uses of viruses
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examine human-viral interactions, including emerging viruses, epidemiology, vaccines, immunity, cancer
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describe other acellular components such as viroids and prions
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identify, examine and criticize scientific literature
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write and present a research project
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employ a variety of laboratory techniques, including isolation, enumeration, basic genome analysis and single step growth curves of viruses (cyanophage)
Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:
| Evaluation | Marks |
| Class tests and assignments | 10-20 |
| Laboratory assessments | 15-30 |
| Term paper/presentation | 10-25 |
| Midterm examination | 20-30 |
| Final examination | 30-35 |
| TOTAL | 100 |
Students should consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. For example, course materials and textbooks may include:
J. Carter and V. Saunders. (2013 or current edition) Virology: Principles and Applications or a comparable current virology textbook.
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