Name:
Per:
VIRUS AND BACTERIA STATION LAB
Purpose: To compare the structures and functions of viruses to bacteria and other cells; to describe the role of
viruses and bacteria in causing diseases; understand the importance of helpful bacteria
Materials: Lab Station Diagrams and Readings; Microslide Viewers and slides; dictionary
LAB STATION #1: COMPARING DIAGRAMS
Look at the picture provided of the virus, bacterial cell and animal cell. Complete the following Venn Diagram by
listing the structures of each in the appropriate area.
ANIMAL CELL
VIRUS
BACTERIAL CELL
Answer the following questions about the virus, bacterium and animal cell you just examined.
1. Looking at the two viruses (Bacteriophage and Influenza), they both have nucleic acid (DNA or
RNA) and which other structure in common?
2. What structures do viruses and bacteria have in common?
3. What structures do bacteria and animal cells have in common?
4. What ONE structure do viruses, bacteria, and animal cells have in common?
5. What type of cells are animal cells?
Prokaryotic
OR
Eukaryotic
6. What type of cells are bacterial cells?
Prokaryotic
OR
Eukaryotic
7. What bacterial structure of the cell is most likely used for movement?
8. Which bacterial structure protects it and provides support for the cell?
9. List the following from smallest to largest in size: bacterial cell, animal cell, virus.
LAB STATION #2: READINGS AND DIAGRAMS
1. Complete the Content Frame below using the function choices provided. Select and record FOUR
functions of a virus and FOUR functions of a cell. All choices will be used only once.
Virus Functions
Cell Functions
2. Based on the functions you selected above for a virus – would a virus be considered a living organism?
Why or why not?
Using the shapes provided, visually match up the viral surface markers with their appropriate host cell receptor
and diagram them on the cells provided below. Each cell should only have ONE host cell receptor and ONE virus
surface marker.
3. The host cell receptors are NOT shaded and the virus surface markers are the shaded ones. Draw them
on your host cell using the colored pencils provided.
HOST CELL 1
HOST CELL 2
HOST CELL 3
4. Is it important for a virus to have a surface marker that will match the host cell? ____________________
5. What does this tell you about viruses and the type of cells that they can attack?
6. Describe what happens after a virus attaches to a host cell. Use the diagram labeled, “Viruses rely on host
cells to reproduce.”
LAB STATION #3: IMMUNIZATIONS & OUTBREAKS
IMMUNIZATION RECORDS & TYPES OF VACCINATIONS
1. List at least 5 of the viral diseases that you have heard of before or are familiar with…
a. __________________________________________
b. __________________________________________
c. __________________________________________
d. __________________________________________
e. __________________________________________
2. A. How many diseases have you received vaccines for? Use the KISD Immunization requirements as a
reference.
Name at least 3?
B. Look at the information provided by the school nurse on the vaccines required to enroll in public high
school in the state of Texas. Why do you think it is important for all students to meet this medical
standard?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
HOW VACCINES WORK
3. What is an antigen?
4. What are antibodies?
5. A. Are antibodies specific to the type of antigen they will destroy?
B. Can the vaccine that kills the antigen of chickenpox also kill hepatitis?
6. How do vaccines work? Arrange these in order by writing #1 for the first step, and so on.
A person will make antibodies to fight the disease
Inject a person with a small dosage of the disease.
The body stockpiles (makes many) antibodies so they are available if and when exposed to that
specific disease later on.
LAB STATION #4: GRAM-STAINED BACTERIA & ANTIBIOTICS (MICROSCOPE)
Using the diagrams, draw and color appropriately the bacteria for Gram positive and negative.
Gram Positive
Gram Negative
Answer the following questions about bacteria:
1. Bacteria cells are
Prokaryotes
OR
Eukaryotes
(circle one)
2. Bacteria cells lack a
Nucleus
OR
DNA
(circle one)
3. What is an antibiotic?
4. What type of cell, Gram-positive or Gram-negative, is more likely to be difficult to kill with an antibiotic?
Why?
5. What is one cause of the increasing rate of resistant bacteria (bacteria that can no longer be killed with
antibiotics)?
6. Can a viral infection, like the common cold, chickenpox, or HIV, be treated with an antibiotic?
LAB STATION #5: HELPFUL & HARMFUL BACTERIA (Microslide Viewers)
You will answer the following questions about helpful and harmful bacteria after reading the provided text folder
and viewing the images through the microslide viewer. Instructions for using the microslide viewer can be found
on the blue envelope inside the text folder.
HELPFUL BACTERIA
MATCHING
1. Bacteria of Decay
A. help humans with digestion in intestines
B. Help make nitrates from the nitrogen in the
2. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
air for plants to use.
C. Vinegar, Cheese, Sour Milk
3. Bacteria of Fermentation
D. return minerals and nutrients back to the
4. Foods that bacteria can be helpful in making
soil
5. Select one example of helpful bacteria to draw from the microslide viewer.
A. Title / Name of bacteria:
B. What shape is the bacteria you drew?
Round = Coccus
Rod = Bacillus
Spiral = Spirillus
HARMFUL BACTERIA
MATCHING
1. Typhoid Fever Bacteria
A. Causes food poisoning by releasing
poisonous waste
2. Bacteria of Tuberculosis
3.
B. Attacks the lungs and other organs of the
body
Botulism
C. Have flagella and contaminate water sources
4. Potato Ring-Rot & Apple Fire-Blight
D. Causes diseases in plants
5. Select one example of harmful bacteria to draw from the microslide viewer.
A. Title / Name of bacteria:
B. What shape is the bacteria you drew?
Round = Coccus
Rod = Bacillus
Spiral = Spirillus
LAB STATION #6: INFECTIOUS DISEASES
1. A recently discovered virus can replicate 10 new viruses in 20 minutes and cause the host cell to break
open and release the newly made viruses. Those 10 viruses then infect 10 more cells, each replicating 10,
and so on. Complete the table below to determine the number of viruses produced from ONE original
virus in 40 minutes.
Time (min)
0
20
40
Graph your result using a LINE GRAPH.
 Label the x-axis, Time (min)
 Label the y-axis, Number of Viruses
 Create a Title
Number of Viruses
1
Research the vocabulary terms: epidemic and pandemic. You can use the dictionary provided on the table or the
following websites…
 Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov
 Dictionary.com
 www.pandemicflu.gov
 Merriam-Webster Online www.m-w.com
2. Define epidemic:
3. Define pandemic: _______________________________________________________________________
4. Draw a representation of each term, without using words, in the spaces below.
Epidemic
Pandemic