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Showing posts from October, 2020

VIRUSES

 VIRUSES         ·         All viruses, for example, live inside host cells, whereas bacteria very rarely do. Viruses, bacteria and fungi multiply very quickly, while worms multiply very slowly in comparison. Taxonomically, all bacteria are closely related to each other than to viruses and vice versa. This means that many important life processes are similar in the bacteria group but are not shared with the virus group. As a result, drugs that block one of these life processes in one member of the group is likely to be effective against many other members of the group. But the same drug will not work against a microbe belonging to a different group of antibiotics. They commonly block biochemical pathways important for bacteria. Many bacteria, for example, make a cell-wall to protect themselves. The antibiotic penicillin blocks the bacterial processes that build the cellwall. As a result, the growing bacteria become unable to make cell-walls, and die easily. Human cells don’t make a cel

IMMUNITY & IMMUNISATION

  IMMUNITY & IMMUNISATION      Microbes vs Pathogen: ·         Microbes are simple microorganisms - unicellular or multicellular ·         Pathogens are disease causing microbes o    Bacteria, Fungus, Virus, Protozoa ·         Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes ·         Bacteriophage : Virus infecting Bacteria ·         Retrovirus o    goes against the Central Dogma of Life (DNA => RNA => Protein) o    RNA has genetic material o    Can undergo Reverse Transcription Antigen:       ·         Substance that is capable of stimulating an immune response (to produce an antibody). o    surface proteins, antibody generation ·         Self antigens (auto-antigens) and Foreign antigens(hetero-antigens) ·         Antigens are targeted by antibodies. o    Each antibody (immune response) is specifically produced by the immune system to match an antigen after cells in the immune system come into contact with it; this allows a  precise identification or matching of th