Programme

The course describes and compares the replication cycles of different animal viruses that infect vertebrate hosts to gain insight into: origin of viruses, structure, evolution, virus-cell interactions, host defense mechanisms and strategies of viral immunoevasion, methods of detection, identification and titration, antiviral drugs and profilaxis of viral infections. In particular, it will be described viruses of the following viral families: Parvoviridae, Poliomaviridae, Papillomaviridae, Adenoviridae, Herpesviridae, Poxviridae, Picornaviridae, Flaviviridae, Coronaviridae, Rabdoviridae, Orthomixoviridae, Paramixoviridae, Retroviridae, Hepadnaviridae. In addition, introduction to applied virology will be provided (i.e., vaccine development, viral vectors and oncolytic viruses). Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to understand in-depth texts and experimental data related to the discipline.

Core Documentation

All the detailed list of topics covered during the lessons, the PDF files of power point presentations used during the course and further materials are available in the Moodle platform of the course.

Adopted text book:
- N. J. Dimmock, A. J. Easton, K. N. Leppard - Introduction to Modern Virology - Seventh edition 2016 -Wiley Blackwell - ISBN 978-1-119-97810-7
- Leonard Norkin – Virology: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis - ASM (American Society for Microbiology) Press (this text book is more detailed)
to complement the PDF files of the power point used by the teacher during the course.
Mandatory integrations of the PDF files regarding viral vectors (adenoviral, adeno-associated, retroviral and lentiviral vectors, poxvirus-based vectors) and oncolitic viruses (general introduction + oncolytic adenoviruses) can be found herebelow:
- Fields virology, Vth edition, 2007- D.M.Knipe and P.M.Howley editors-in-chief -Lippincot Williams & Wilkins publishers, cap.16 Viral vectors and their applications (on line access through Roma Tre Scientific Library)
- Stéphanie Durand and Andrea Cimarelli - The Inside Out of Lentiviral Vectors - Viruses 2011, 3, 132-159.
- Carina Elsner and Jens Bohne - The retroviral vector family: something for everyone. – Virus Genes 2017, 53:714-722
The teacher receives by appointment via email (elisabetta.affabris@uniroma3.it) or at the end of the lessons.

Type of delivery of the course

Generally the course takes place with lectures, practical exercises in the classroom with the help of a PC and in an educational laboratory on setting up and maintaining animal cell cultures, but, due to the suspension of the frontal teaching from the beginning of March after the first two lectures to face the coronavirus epidemic, a site dedicated to the course on the MOODLE platform has been activated. Students are asked to refer to the information present there and to register on the platform. Registered on line lesson started on March 30th.

Attendance

attendance of the course is strongly recommended

Type of evaluation

through an oral interview the learning of the discipline and its applications is evaluated. The students can start the examination discussing a topic at their choice.