Praised forits clarity of presentation and accessibility, Introduction to Modern Virology has been a successful student text for over 30 years. It provides a broad introduction to virology, which includes the nature of viruses, the interaction of viruses with their hosts and the consequences of those interactions that lead to the diseases we see. This new edition contains a number of important changes and innovations including:

* The consideration of immunology now covers two chapters, one on innate immunity and the other on adaptive immunity, reflecting the explosion in knowledge of viral interactions with these systems.

* The coverage of vaccines and antivirals has been expanded and separated into two new chapters to reflect the importance of these approaches to prevention and treatment.

* Virus infections in humans are considered in more detail with new chapters on viral hepatitis, influenza, vector-borne diseases, and exotic and emerging viral infections, complementing an updated chapter on HIV.

* The final section includes three new chapters on the broader aspects of the influence of viruses on our lives, focussing on the economic impact of virus infections, the ways we can use viruses in clinical and other spheres, and the impact that viruses have on the planet and almost every aspect of our lives.

A good basic understanding of viruses is important for generalists and specialists alike. The aim of this book is to make such understanding as accessible as possible, allowing students across the biosciences spectrum to improve their knowledge of these fascinating entities.

Nigel Dimmock is an internationally acclaimed virologist who has spent the major part of his career at the University of Warwick where he is an emeritus Professor. His main research interests are influenza virus and antiviral strategies.

Andrew Easton is a Professor of Virology at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on the molecular biology and pathogenesis of respiratory viruses, particularly respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus and the control of translation of virus mRNA.

Keith Leppard is an Associate Professor (Reader) at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on adenoviruses: their replication, the effects of viral proteins on the host cell, and on the development of the virus as a gene delivery vehicle.

Praised forits clarity of presentation and accessibility, Introduction to Modern Virology has been a successful student text for over 30 years. It provides a broad introduction to virology, which includes the nature of viruses, the interaction of viruses with their hosts and the consequences of those interactions that lead to the diseases we see. This new edition contains a number of important changes and innovations including:

• The consideration of immunology now covers two chapters, one on innate immunity and the other on adaptive immunity, reflecting the explosion in knowledge of viral interactions with these systems.
• The coverage of vaccines and antivirals has been expanded and separated into two new chapters to reflect the importance of these approaches to prevention and treatment.
• Virus infections in humans are considered in more detail with new chapters on viral hepatitis, influenza, vector-borne diseases, and exotic and emerging viral infections, complementing an updated chapter on HIV.
• The final section includes three new chapters on the broader aspects of the influence of viruses on our lives, focussing on the economic impact of virus infections, the ways we can use viruses in clinical and other spheres, and the impact that viruses have on the planet and almost every aspect of our lives.

A good basic understanding of viruses is important for generalists and specialists alike. The aim of this book is to make such understanding as accessible as possible, allowing students across the biosciences spectrum to improve their knowledge of these fascinating entities.

Preface xvii

About the companion website xix

Part I The Nature of Viruses 1

Chapter 1 Towards a definition of a virus 3

1.1 Discovery of viruses 4

1.2 Multiplication of viruses 5

1.3 The virus multiplication cycle 6

1.4 Viruses can be defined in chemical terms 7

1.5 Multiplication of bacterial and animal viruses is fundamentally similar 10

1.6 Viruses can be manipulated genetically 11

1.7 Properties of viruses 11

1.8 Origin of viruses 12

Key points 12

Further reading 12

Chapter 2 The structure of virus particles 13

2.1 Virus particles are constructed from subunits 13

2.2 The structure of filamentous viruses and nucleoproteins 14

2.3 The structure is of isometric virus particles 15

2.4 Enveloped (membrane-bound) virus particles 24

2.5 Virus particles with head-tail morphology 27

2.6 Frequency of occurrence of different virus particle morphologies 28

2.7 Principles of disassemply: virus particles are metastable 28

Key points 29

Further reading 29

Chapter 3 Classification of viruses 30

3.1 Classification on the basis of disease 30

3.2 Classification on the basis of host organism 31

3.3 Classification on the basis of virus particle morphology 31

3.4 Classification on the basis of viral nucleic acids 32

3.5 Classification on the basis of taxonomy 34

3.6 Satellites, viroids and prions 35

Key points 37

Further reading 38

Chapter 4 The evolution of viruses 39

4.1 Mechanisms of virus evolution 40

4.2 The potential for rapid evolution: mutation and quasispecies 40

4.3 Rapid evolution: recombination 43

4.4 Rapid evolution: reassortment 43

4.5 Evolution to find a host, and subsequent co-evolution with the host 46

Key points 51

Questions 51

Further reading 51

Chapter 5 Techniques for studying viruses 52

5.1 Culturing wild virus isolates 52

5.2 Enumeration of viruses 54

5.3 Measuring infectious virus titres 55

5.4 Measuring physical virus titres 57

5.5 Detecting virus in a sample 58

5.6 Understanding virus replication cycles 62

5.7 Viral genetics and reverse genetics 63

5.8 Systems-level virology 63

Key points 65

Questions 65

Further reading 65

Part II Virus Growth in Cells 67

Chapter 6 The process of infection: I. Virus attachment and entry into cells 69

6.1 Infection of animal cells: the nature and importance of receptors 69

6.2 Infection of animal cells: enveloped viruses 73

6.3 Infection of animal cells: non-enveloped viruses 78

6.4 Infection of plant cells 80

6.5 Infection of bacteria 81

6.6 Infection of cells: post-entry events 82

6.7 Virus entry: cell culture and the whole organism 84

Key points 84

Questions 84

Further reading 85

Chapter 7 The process of infection: IIA. The replication of viral DNA 86

7.1 The universal mechanism of DNA synthesis 87

7.2 Replication of circular double-stranded DNA genomes 90

7.3 Replication of linear double-stranded DNA genomes that can form circles 93

7.4 Replication of linear double-stranded DNA genomes that do not circularize 96

7.5 Replication of single-stranded circular DNA genomes 100

7.6 Replication of single-stranded linear DNA genomes 100

7.7 Dependency versus autonomy among DNA viruses 103

Key points 103

Questions 103

Further reading 103

Chapter 8 The process o…