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Virus goes viral: an educational kit for virology classes
Gabriel Augusto Pires de Souza1, Victória Fulgêncio Queiroz1, Maurício Teixeira Lima1
1Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil.
Virology Journal
|February 2, 2020
Summary
A new low-cost microscope slide kit featuring giant viruses and animal virus interactions was developed to enhance virology education. This tool aids students in visualizing viral particles and cellular effects, overcoming common teaching limitations.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Microbiology
- Science Education
Background:
- Viruses are abundant and historically significant, but teaching virology faces challenges due to resource limitations and the small size of viral particles.
- Discoveries of giant DNA viruses offer new avenues for exploring viral structures and functions.
- Traditional methods like visualizing cytopathic effects can be enhanced with novel findings for effective virology pedagogy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an innovative, hands-on slide microscope kit for teaching virology.
- To address limitations in current virology education, particularly for undergraduate and high school students.
- To integrate the study of giant viruses and animal virus-cell interactions into practical lessons.
Main Methods:
- Prepared microscope slides by staining purified giant viruses with crystal violet.
- Created slides of infected amoebae and mammalian cell lines (BSC-40, Vero) using giant viruses and animal viruses (Orthopoxvirus, Flavivirus, Alphavirus).
- Utilized hemacolor reagents for visualizing viral factories in amoebae and crystal violet for plaque-forming units in cell monolayers.
Main Results:
- Crystal violet staining enhanced visualization of giant virus particles, revealing diverse morphologies and sizes.
- Hemacolor staining effectively showed viral factories within infected amoebae.
- Crystal violet staining of infected cell monolayers clearly demonstrated plaque-forming units, illustrating virus-host cell interactions.
Conclusions:
- The developed slide kit provides an accessible and effective tool for practical virology classes.
- The kit facilitates the visualization of giant viruses and animal virus cytopathic effects, aiding student comprehension.
- This low-cost educational resource aims to inspire learning and make advanced virology concepts more approachable for students and educators.