to enable students to-
Brief outline on discovery of viruses, nomenclature and classification of viruses: distinctive properties of viruses; morphology & ultra structure; capsids & their arrangements; types of envelops and their composition-viral genome, their types and structures; virus related agents (viroids, prions)
Cultivation in embryonated eggs, Experimental animals, cell cultures; primary, secondary, suspension and monolayer cell culture, Cell lines and transgenic systems; serological methods-Haemagglutination & HAI, complement fixation; immunofluorescence methods, ELISA and Radioimmunoassay; assay of viruses-physical and chemical methods (protein, nucleic acid, radioactivity tracers, electron microscopy)-infectivity assay (plaque method end point method)- Infectivity assay of plant viruses.
Bacteriophages: Structural organization, Replication of phages (Lytic and Lysogeny cycle), Stages of one step growth curve, Burst size, bacteriophage typing, Application of bacteriophage in bacterial genetics, Salient features of M13, Mu.T7,T4,Lambda P1 and General account of Cyanophages
Effect of viruses on plants, Appearance of plants; histology, physiology and cytology of plants; virus disease of plants ;paddy (Rice Tungro, Rice Hozablanca) tomato(Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl, Tomato Mottle) and sugarcane (Sugarcane Mosaic); algae, fungi, Transmission of plant virus with vectors (insects, nematodes, fungi) and without vectors (contact, seed and pollens), Prevention of crop loss due to virus infection- virus free planting material; vector control.
Animal viruses Epidemiology, life cycle, pathogen city, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of RNA viruses- Picorna virus family- Poliomyelitis, Orthomyxoviruses- influenza, Paramyxoviruses- Mumps, Measles, HIV; DNA viruses; Pox virus- Variola and Vaccina, Herpes virus- Varicella Zoster virus, Hepatitis viruses, Arthropod borne (arbo) Viral disease- Dengu.
Viral vaccines (conventional vaccines, recombinant vaccines, vaccines used in national immunization programmes with example, newer generation vaccines including DNA vaccines with examples) interferon , and antiviral drugs.