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Viral Pathogenesis Flashcards

7 cards from real AP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which viral mechanism allows a pathogen to avoid destruction by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs)?

    Answer: Downregulating MHC class I expression on infected cells

    Many viruses, including herpesviruses and HIV, downregulate MHC class I to prevent CTLs from recognizing and killing infected cells.

  2. What is the role of viral neuraminidase in influenza pathogenesis?

    Answer: Cleaves sialic acid to release new virions from cell surfaces

    Neuraminidase cleaves sialic acid residues on host cell surfaces, releasing newly assembled influenza virions so they can spread to new cells.

  3. During viral latency, herpes simplex virus (HSV) genome is maintained in what form within sensory neurons?

    Answer: As a circular episome in the nucleus

    HSV maintains its genome as a circular episomal DNA in the nucleus of sensory neurons during latency, without integrating into host chromosomes.

  4. Which term describes the ability of a virus to infect and replicate in multiple different tissue types?

    Answer: Pantropic

    A pantrophic virus has broad tissue tropism, meaning it can infect and replicate in many different cell and tissue types throughout the body.

  5. How do non-cytopathic viruses cause host cell damage without directly killing the infected cell?

    Answer: By provoking immune-mediated destruction of infected cells

    Non-cytopathic viruses cause damage primarily through the host immune response, where CTLs and antibodies destroy virally infected cells.

  6. What is meant by 'viral shedding' in the context of pathogenesis?

    Answer: Release of infectious viral particles from the host into the environment

    Viral shedding refers to the release of infectious virus from an infected host into secretions or excretions, enabling transmission to new hosts.

  7. Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever partly by infecting which cell type, leading to systemic immune dysregulation?

    Answer: Macrophages and dendritic cells

    Ebola virus infects macrophages and dendritic cells, impairing adaptive immune responses and triggering a cytokine storm that damages blood vessels.