Glossary of virology

This glossary of virology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in the study of virology, particularly in the description of viruses and their actions.

Table of contents: .A | .B | .C | .D | .E | .F | .G | .H | .I | .J | .K | .L | .M | .N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

Glossary of Virology

• AHL-1 cells – A human cell line used in virology studies, particularly for hepatitis and oncogenic virus research.

• Accessory gene regulator – A quorum sensing system in some bacteria and viruses that modulates gene expression, particularly in pathogenesis.

• Antigenic drift – A process of gradual accumulation of mutations in viral antigens, leading to changes in viral surface proteins and reduced immune recognition.

• Antigenic shift – A sudden, major change in a virus’s genome, especially in influenza viruses, resulting in a novel subtype to which most humans lack immunity.

• Attenuated vaccine – A vaccine created using a weakened form of a virus that is still capable of replication but not causing disease.

• Autogenous vaccines – Vaccines made from pathogens isolated from the same individual or herd for targeted treatment.

• Autoinoculation – The process by which an individual spreads a viral infection to different parts of their body.

• B type inclusion – Cytoplasmic inclusion bodies often found in cells infected with poxviruses.

• BCP-1 cells – A human B-cell line used in studies of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and other gammaherpesviruses.

• Baby hamster kidney cell – A widely used mammalian cell line (BHK-21) for culturing animal viruses and vaccine production.

• Baltimore classification – A system that classifies viruses based on their type of genome (DNA or RNA, single- or double-stranded) and replication strategy.

• Branched DNA assay – A signal amplification nucleic acid test used for detecting and quantifying viral RNA or DNA.

• Cap snatching – A mechanism used by some RNA viruses to "steal" 5’ caps from host mRNAs to initiate viral mRNA synthesis.

• Capsid – The protein shell of a virus that encloses its genetic material.

• Capsomere – The subunit of a capsid, formed by protein molecules.

• Cell-based vaccine – A type of vaccine developed using cultured cells instead of fertilized chicken eggs, commonly used for influenza.

• Coinfection – The simultaneous infection of a host by two or more virus strains or different pathogens.

• Common Cold Unit – A former UK-based research facility dedicated to studying respiratory viruses, especially the common cold.

• Cryspovirus – A genus of viruses that infect protozoa like Cryptosporidium.

• DNA vaccine – A vaccine that uses a plasmid containing viral DNA to elicit an immune response.

• DNA virus – A virus that has DNA as its genetic material and replicates using DNA-dependent DNA polymerase.

• DPVweb – A curated database of plant viruses and their properties.

• Decoy cells – Cells in the urine resembling virally infected urothelial cells, typically associated with polyomavirus infection.

• Duck embryo vaccine – A vaccine produced using duck embryos, historically used for rabies and other zoonotic viruses.

• Ecotropism – The tendency of certain viruses to infect only specific species or cell types.

• Embryonated – Refers to fertilized chicken eggs used to culture and propagate viruses, especially for vaccine production.

• Emergent virus – A newly identified virus that has recently appeared in a population or is rapidly increasing in incidence.

• Endogenous viral element – Viral sequences that have integrated into the host genome over evolutionary time.

• Endothelial cell tropism – The preference of certain viruses to infect the endothelial cells lining blood vessels.

• GISAID – The Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, a platform for sharing genome sequences of flu and emerging viruses like SARS-CoV-2.

• Gain-of-function research – Studies involving the enhancement of viral properties, such as transmissibility or pathogenicity, for scientific purposes.

• Global Virome Project – A collaborative effort to discover and catalog unknown viruses with potential pandemic risk.

• Global Virus Network (GVN) – A coalition of medical virologists working to prevent and control viral diseases through global research.

• Glossary of virology – A compiled list of terms and definitions commonly used in the field of virology.

• Group-specific antigen – Viral antigens specific to a group of viruses, used for diagnosis or vaccine design.

• HIV capsid inhibition – A therapeutic strategy that targets the capsid protein of HIV to inhibit viral replication.

• HIV latency – The ability of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to remain dormant in host cells, forming a major barrier to a cure.

• Helper dependent virus – A virus that requires the presence of a helper virus to replicate.

• Helper virus – A virus that assists another defective or satellite virus to complete its replication cycle.

• Heterophile antibody test – A diagnostic test for Epstein-Barr virus using cross-reactive antibodies.

• Host tropism – The specificity of a virus for infecting particular host species or cell types.

• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) – A retrovirus that causes AIDS by targeting CD4+ T cells in the human immune system.

• Inclusion bodies – Intracellular structures formed during viral replication, often used as markers of infection.

• Integrase – A viral enzyme used by retroviruses to insert their genome into the host DNA.

• Intrastructural help – An immunological phenomenon where preexisting immunity to one viral protein enhances responses to others.

• Intrinsic immunity – Innate defense mechanisms in host cells that restrict viral replication even before adaptive immune responses.

• Laboratory-acquired infection – Infections contracted by lab personnel due to accidental exposure to infectious viruses.

• Leaky scanning – A translational control mechanism where ribosomes bypass the first start codon and initiate translation downstream.

• Live virus reference strain – A well-characterized virus used as a standard in vaccine production or diagnostic testing.

• Lysogenic cycle – A viral life cycle in which the genome is integrated into the host cell’s DNA and replicates passively without immediate destruction.

• Lytic cycle – A viral replication cycle that leads to the production of new viruses and host cell lysis.

• Multiplicity of infection – The ratio of infecting virus particles to target cells in an experimental setting.

• Neurovirology – The study of viruses that affect the nervous system and their interactions with neural cells.

• Nomenclature codes – Standardized rules used to name viruses and virus families as determined by bodies like the ICTV.

• Non-cellular life – Refers to entities like viruses and viroids that do not consist of cells but possess life-like properties.

• Oncovirus – A virus capable of causing cancer in humans or animals, e.g., HPV or EBV.

• Original antigenic sin – The immune system’s tendency to preferentially use memory responses from a first exposure even after exposure to a new strain.

• Orphan virus – A virus identified in the absence of a known associated disease.

• Paleovirology – The study of ancient viruses and their interactions with hosts through the analysis of endogenous viral elements in genomes.

• Passenger virus – A virus detected in a host without evidence of disease or replication.

• Permissive cell – A host cell that allows complete replication of a virus.

• PhEVER – A database of viral and host evolutionary relationships.

• PhagesDB – A database of bacteriophages and related data, commonly used in phage research.

• Phenotype mixing – A process where progeny viruses acquire proteins from a different parental virus without genetic recombination.

• Phycodnaviridae – A family of large dsDNA viruses that infect algae.

• Plant virus – A virus that specifically infects plants, often spread by insect vectors or through mechanical means.

• Plaque-forming unit – A measure of infectious virus particles, defined as one infectious unit that forms a visible plaque on a cell monolayer.

• Pleomorphism (microbiology) – The variability in shape and size among virus particles of the same species.

See also

• Glossary of biology
• Glossary of genetics
• Glossary of scientific naming
• Introduction to viruses
• List of viruses