Master Polyomavirus with Picmonic for Medicine

While some viruses have viral envelopes covering their protein capsids, polyomaviruses do not.

Polyomavirus genomes consist of double-stranded DNA, meaning their genetic code consists of deoxyribonucleic acid, as opposed to ribonucleic acid.

This genome is circular, as opposed to linear.

BK virus is a member of the Polyomavirus family, and is known to cause renal dysfunction in the immunosuppressed.

BK virus can disseminate to the kidneys and urinary tract, where it persists in its latent form until some form of immunosuppression develops. Typically, this occurs in the setting of kidney or multi-organ transplantation. Clinical manifestations include renal dysfunction with a progressive rise in serum creatinine on lab evaluation, along with renal tubular cells and inflammatory cells on urinalysis.

JC virus is another member of the Polyomavirus family which causes progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in the immunocompromised, including HIV patients.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare disease characterized by inflammation of the white matter of the brain in multiple locations. Specifically, this virus destroys oligodendrocytes that are responsible for creating the myelin sheath in the CNS.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is seen almost exclusively in immunosuppressed patients, such as those with HIV.

JC virus destroys oligodendrocytes that are responsible for creating the myelin sheath in the CNS. Destruction of the oligodendrocytes leads to demyelination, which impairs the transmission of nerve impulses.

This virus specifically destroys oligodendrocytes that are responsible for creating the myelin sheath in the CNS. Destruction of the oligodendrocytes leads to demyelination, which impairs the transmission of nerve impulses.