Study for the ACVPM Infectious Diseases Exam with engaging quizzes, flashcards, and detailed explanations. Prepare thoroughly and enhance your knowledge to excel in the test!

Multiple Choice

The AHS virus is destroyed by pH conditions of which range?

Viruses rely on a protective protein shell to keep their genome intact. Extreme pH disrupts those structural proteins, denaturing the shell and damaging the genome, which destroys infectivity. The AHS virus is relatively stable near neutral pH but is inactivated by both very acidic conditions (pH below 6) and very alkaline conditions (pH above 12). In short, pH extremes outside the range around neutral effectively destroy the virus, which is why the correct range is less than 6 or greater than 12.

Viruses rely on a protective protein shell to keep their genome intact. Extreme pH disrupts those structural proteins, denaturing the shell and damaging the genome, which destroys infectivity. The AHS virus is relatively stable near neutral pH but is inactivated by both very acidic conditions (pH below 6) and very alkaline conditions (pH above 12). In short, pH extremes outside the range around neutral effectively destroy the virus, which is why the correct range is less than 6 or greater than 12.