Topic > Adenovirus Essay - 546

Adenoviruses cause a wide range of diseases; Illnesses can range from mild respiratory infections to life-threatening multi-organ diseases. Individuals with weak immune systems are at risk of contracting the virus. Adenovirus infections often cause infections to develop in the upper respiratory tract. Adenovirus infections are often acute, are self-limiting, and are not associated with death. Adenoviruses belong to the Adenoviridae family. Adenoviruses are 90-100 nm in size; they are not enveloped, implying that they lack an external lipid bilayer. Because they are large in size, they can be transported through the endosome. Adenoviruses contain an icosahedral nucleocapsid that contains a double-stranded DNA genome. The icosahedral protein shell has a diameter between 70 and 100 nm and consists of two hundred and fifty-two structural capsomers. There are twelve vertices of the icosahedron, which are occupied by units called pentons; each penton has a small projection called a fiber. Exons make up the edges and twenty faces of the icosahedron;...