Aims & Learning Objectives:
Aims: To introduce students to the basic characteristics of viruses, both as microorganisms and as agents of disease of animals and plants.
After taking this course the student should be able to:
* define the main characteristics of plant and animal viruses
* know how to detect and identify viruses
* understand the role of viruses in disease
* recognise the importance of new and emerging virus infections
* appreciate how some viruses spread and are controlled
Content:
The physical, chemical and biological properties of viruses; the life cycle and replication strategies of representative viruses; the effects of viruses at the whole organism, cellular and biochemical levels; principles of virus detection and disease diagnosis; virus transmission, ecology and control; emerging viruses and novel virus-like agents. Practical sessions introduce common methods for identification and characterisation of viruses.
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