This section is dedicated to two clinically significant families of RNA viruses: Caliciviruses and Arenaviruses. You will study their morphology, transmission routes, and disease mechanisms.
The materials cover noroviruses (the main causative agents of viral gastroenteritis from the Caliciviridae family) and the causative agents of severe hemorrhagic fevers from the Arenaviridae family (e.g., Lassa and Machupo viruses).
Microbiology classes most frequently test the epidemiological features of norovirus infection and its high resistance to disinfectants. For arenaviruses, the main examination focus is the zoonotic nature of transmission, the role of rodents as a natural reservoir, and strict biosafety rules for the laboratory diagnosis of these particularly dangerous infections.