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Ch. 25 - Pathogenic RNA Viruses
Bauman - Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th Edition
Bauman6th EditionMicrobiology with Diseases by TaxonomyISBN: 9780134832302Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksBauman 6th EditionCh. 25 - Pathogenic RNA VirusesProblem 3
Chapter 25, Problem 3

The smallest animal viruses are in the family ___________.


a. Caliciviridae
b. Astroviridae
c. Togaviridae
d. Picornaviridae

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Understand the question is asking for the family of viruses that contains the smallest animal viruses. This requires knowledge of virus families and their general size ranges.
Step 2: Recall that virus size is often measured by the diameter of the virion, and among animal viruses, some families are known for having particularly small virions.
Step 3: Review the characteristics of each listed family: Caliciviridae, Astroviridae, Togaviridae, and Picornaviridae, focusing on their typical virion sizes.
Step 4: Identify that Picornaviridae are known to be among the smallest animal viruses, with virion sizes around 20-30 nanometers, smaller than the other families listed.
Step 5: Conclude that the family Picornaviridae contains the smallest animal viruses based on their size characteristics.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Virus Classification and Families

Viruses are classified into families based on their genetic material, structure, and replication methods. Each family shares common characteristics such as genome type (RNA or DNA), capsid shape, and host range, which help in identifying and differentiating viruses.
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Size Range of Animal Viruses

Animal viruses vary widely in size, typically measured in nanometers. Understanding the relative sizes of different virus families helps in identifying the smallest viruses, which is important for diagnostics and studying virus-host interactions.
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Characteristics of Picornaviridae

Picornaviridae is a family of small, non-enveloped RNA viruses known for their tiny size, often around 20-30 nm. This family includes important pathogens like poliovirus and rhinovirus, making it notable as the smallest animal virus family.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

The patient in room 519 exhibits yellowing skin and eyes, and it is suspected among the nursing staff that the diagnosis will be some kind of viral hepatitis. Make a chart of five kinds of hepatitis mentioned in this chapter, the infecting pathogen, how the patient might have become infected, and the relative degree of seriousness.

Textbook Question

_____Postpolio syndrome is due to latent polioviruses that become active 30 to 40 years after the initial infection.

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Textbook Question

_____All infections of polio are crippling.

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Textbook Question

Label the flu epidemics. How can you best explain the biennial fluctuation in the number of cases? How can you explain the epidemics?

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Textbook Question

Which of the following viruses cause most colds?


a. Rhinoviruses

b. Parainfluenza viruses

c. Pneumoviruses

d. Bunyaviruses

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Textbook Question

_____Because the oral polio vaccine contains live attenuated viruses, mutations of these viruses can cause polio.

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