Microbiology & infectious diseases
Viruses
DNA Viruses
Author: Christopher S. Hale, M.D.
Last author update: 1 October 2013
Last staff update: 5 October 2020
Copyright: 2002-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: DNA viruses [title]
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Terminology | Etiology | Laboratory | Treatment | Molecular / cytogenetics descriptionCite this page: Hale C. DNA Viruses. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/microbiologyvirusesDNA.html. Accessed April 20th, 2024.
Definition / general
- Common human pathogens
- Includes Herpes viruses, Hepadnaviruses, Adenoviruses, Papillomaviruses, Polyomaviruses, Parvoviruses, Pox viruses (HHAPPPP mnemonic)
- May be categorized by:
- Organization of genome (linear / circular, single - stranded / double - stranded)
- Replication strategy
- Structure (enveloped / naked)
Terminology
- Naming regulated by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), see MicrobeWiki Viral Nomenclature
Etiology
- Herpesviridae
- HSV - 1 / HSV - 2 (NIH-Herpes):
- Ocular
- Oral / mucosa
- Genital
- Cutaneous infections
- Encephalitis
- Meningitis
- Varicella - zoster:
- Chicken pox
- Shingles
- Epstein - Barr:
- Infectious mononucleosis
- Burkitt lymphoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Others
- Cytomegalovirus:
- Congenital chorioretinitis / CNS abnormalities
- Severe infection in immunosuppressed adults
- Human Herpes Virus - 8:
- Kaposi sarcoma
- Multifocal Castleman's disease
- Primary effusion lymphoma
- HSV - 1 / HSV - 2 (NIH-Herpes):
- Hepadnaviridae:
- Hepatitis B virus
- Denoviridae:
- Upper / lower respiratory tract infections
- Papillomaviridae (NIH - HPV):
- Warts
- Cervical cancer
- Penile cancer
- Condyloma
- Head and neck cancers
- Polyomaviridae:
- Hemorrhagic cystitis in transplant recipients
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
- Others
- Parvoviridae:
- Parvovirus B19
- Fifth disease / slapped - cheek disease
- Aplastic anemia
- Poxviridae:
- Molluscum contagiosum
- Small pox
- Cow pox
- Monkey Pox
- Orf
- Many DNA viruses have cancer associations (Arch Virol 2013;158:1433)
Laboratory
- Culture conditions:
- Most viruses must be collected in viral transport medium (VTM) for culture
- Ability to culture, and optimal conditions vary by virus
- Culture techniques include growth in standard eukaryotic cell lines such as Hep - 2 or human diploid fibroblasts
- Infected cell cultures may be examined for characteristic viral cytopathic effects (inclusions, multinucleation, etc.)
- Newer molecular techniques increasingly preferred (PCR, multiplex PCR) over viral culture (Clin Microbiol Rev 2008;21:716)
- Serology (change in titers, IgM to IgG switch) may assist in determining exposure and/or time course of disease for some DNA viruses
- Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) kits
- Enzyme immunoassay (EIA)
- Tzanck smear is Giemsa or Wright stain used for morphologic identification of suspected herpes infection (light microscopic evaluation for multinucleated cells from a clinically suspected herpetic lesion)
Treatment
- DNA synthesis inhibitors (ganciclovir, galaciclovir, acyclovir) often used for treatment of herpes viruses, cytomegalovirus infections (Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013;28:2)
Molecular / cytogenetics description
- Molecular identification techniques (nucleic acid amplification testing) replacing traditional diagnostics in some settings (Curr Issues Mol Biol 2007;9:87)
