RESEARCH: (26Feb2020) The Biology of a VIRUS... by R.E. Sutherland, M.Ed./Sciences

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Date:          February 26, 2020
Contact:      R.E. Sutherland, M.Ed./sciences
Email:         [email protected]

Copyrighted. Permission is granted to post or redistribute article in its entirety without alternation or change. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: The following is not intended as legal, financial, or medical advice; instead, it is sent for Education and Discussion Purposes Only … the Reader is responsible for all thoughts and actions gained from introspection.
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SUBJECT: The Biology of a VIRUS

By R.E. Sutherland, M.Ed./Sciences
February 26, 2020

INTRODUCTION:  Americans are poorly educated about the entity: virus.  In fact, they do not know anything about them, if one follows the conversations… everywhere.  Americans need scientific knowledge.  I will not give you hype.  I will not give you hope.  I will give you facts to use.  Let’s begin.

FIRST:  What is the SIZE of a human cell?

Human cell:  There are hundreds of different types of human cells, and they range in size from about 5um-150um in diameter. That measurement is MICRONS (aka micro-meters), which is 1/10,000th of a centimeter.  (Dec 8, 2016)

LINK: https://www.quora.com/How-small-is-a-human-cell

SECOND:  What is the size of BACTERIA, a one-celled animal?

According to many microbiology books, the average size of most bacteria is between 0.2 and 2.0 micrometer (diameter). However, there are some that hold this to range between 1 and 10 micrometers.

Information:  In bacteriology, the micron (micrometer) is the primary unit of measurement: I micrometer (um) is one-thousandth of a millimeter.

* Given that the limit of resolution for a human eye (naked eye) is between 100 and 200 um (about the diameter of a human hair) then the majority of bacteria cannot be seen with the naked eye.

LINK:  https://www.microscopemaster.com/bacteria-size-shape-arrangement.html

THIRD:  What is the size of a VIRUS?

A virus is an infectious agent of small size and simple composition that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria. They range in size from about 20 to 400 nanometres in diameter (1 nanometre = 10^-9 meters). By contrast, the smallest bacteria are about 400 nanometres in size.

LINK:  https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-microbiology/chapter/overview-of-viruses/

FOURTH:  What is the size of the pores (holes) in facial masks on the market?

QUOTE:  The average size of pores in the masks estimated between 16 and 51 micron and showed that the smaller masks‘ pores, the filtration rate are higher [4].

LINK:  https://ijoh.tums.ac.ir

TABLE:  Comparison of Face Masks materials by PORE SIZE in micrometers

1. Tie-on Surgical Face Mask…..23.97 to 474
2. Classical Surgical Mask, Blue…..19.29 to 43.27
3. Sofloop Extra Protection Mask…..16.90 to 27.19
4. Aseptex Fluid Resistant…..35.06 to 87.74
5. Surgine II Cone Mask…..51.00 to 146.60
6. Surgical Grade Cone Style Mask…..31.72 to 92.12

LINK:  https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Face-Mask-Material-Characteristics-thickness-weight-pore-size-Resistance-to-Blood_tbl2_242297437

FIFTH:  How EFFICIENT are the masks to keep particulates from going through them?

TABLE:  Comparison of Face Masks materials by EFFICIENCY, using the bacteria E Coli as the standard

1.  Tie-on Surgical Face Mask…. 98.53%
2. Classical Surgical Mask, Blue…..97.26%
3. Sofloop Extra Protection Mask…..99.34%
4. Aseptex Fluid Resistant…..99.10
5. Surgine II Cone Mask…..974
6. Surgical Grade Cone Style Mask…..99.73

LINK:  https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Face-Mask-Material-Characteristics-thickness-weight-pore-size-Resistance-to-Blood_tbl2_242297437

SIXTH:  What is the difference between a Surgical Mask… surgical N95 Respirator…and an industrial N95 Respirator?

QUOTED article: (01May2014) A Comparison of Surgical Masks, Surgical N95 Respirators, and Industrial N95 Respirators

The most important thing to remember about surgical masks is that they are not designed to pass a fit test. Their purpose is to help protect the environment and nearby persons from the wearer’s contaminants…

It is easy to confuse a surgical mask, a surgical N95 respirator, and an industrial N95 disposable respirator with one another. They look similar, and the words “respirator” and “mask” are often used interchangeably when discussing respiratory protection. However, in fact there are many differences between them. This article is intended to educate the reader on the differences between surgical masks, surgical N95 respirators, and industrial N95 respirators.

Purpose or Intended Use
Surgical masks

• May include masks labeled as surgical, laser, isolation, dental, or medical procedure masks
• Are primarily intended to protect the patient, not the wearer, from the wearer’s saliva and respiratory secretions

The most important thing to remember about surgical masks is that they are not designed to pass a fit test. Their purpose is to help protect the environment and nearby persons from the wearer’s contaminants…. While each facility has its own policy, surgical masks in general are discarded after each procedure. They are typically worn only for specific procedures.

Surgical N95 respirators are designed to reduce but cannot eliminate the wearer’s exposure to airborne biological contaminants. They do not eliminate the risk of illness, disease, or death… Respirators are designed to seal the respirator to the face and pass a fit test. Under Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR 1910.134, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires the wearer of a respirator to be fit tested before he or she can use the respirator in a contaminated environment. OSHA also requires the wearer to perform user seal checks on the respirator before each use, as well as comply with the other elements of a comprehensive respiratory protection program in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134.

SEVENTH:  Is a virus alive?

No.  A virus does not have biological functions like reproducing, breathing, expiration.  It is not in a biological Kingdom, because it is not “living”.

QUOTE (Wikipedia) – A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.

EIGHTH:  What is the physical composition of a virus?

QUOTE (Wikipedia) – While not inside an infected cell or in the process of infecting a cell, viruses exist in the form of independent particles, or virions, consisting of: (i) the genetic material, i.e. long molecules of DNA or RNA that encode the structure of the proteins by which the virus acts; (ii) a protein coat, the capsid, which surrounds and protects the genetic material; and in some cases (iii) an outside envelope of lipids.

NINTH:  Can a virus be killed?

No.  Because no virus is alive, it cannot be killed.  The body uses its immune system to capture and rip apart the virus, which is much smaller than the cells of the body.  However, like with HIV, the body’s immune system cannot succeed without the help of other chemicals called “antivirals”.

QUOTE (Wikipedia) – Not all virus infections produce a protective immune response in this way. HIV evades the immune system by constantly changing the amino acid sequence of the proteins on the surface of the virion. This is known as “escape mutation” as the viral epitopes escape recognition by the host immune response. These persistent viruses evade immune control by sequestration, blockade of antigen presentation, cytokine resistance, evasion of natural killer cell activities, escape from apoptosis, and antigenic shift.^[198] Other viruses, called ‘neurotropic viruses‘, are disseminated by neural spread where the immune system may be unable to reach them.

TENTH:  How does a disinfectant work on a virus?

QUOTE: We use bleach, pasteurization, and UV radiation to purify water and food, without really understanding how they work. An EPFL laboratory has discovered the effect these common disinfectants have on viruses…

Professor Tamar Kohn, head of EPFL’s Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, and her team have shown that disinfectants don’t all work in the same way. She published an article in Environmental Science and Technology. “A virus is a genome and some proteins. We discovered that each disinfectant has totally different effects, attacking one or several of the virus’ functions. Even though the outcome is the same, the eradication methods are different.”

Kohn discovered three important functions that must remain intact for the virus to be infectious: it must be able to attach to the host cell, inject its material into the host cell and then be able to replicate. So how do our viruses react to pasteurization, chlorine disinfection and UV radiation?

LINK:  https://actu.epfl.ch/news/how-do-disinfectants-kill-viruses/

CONCLUSION:  The size of a virus is between 20-400 nanometers, which is much smaller than a one-celled bacteria or human cell.  No surgical mask is 100% efficient for removing bacteria; so the much smaller virus will easily penetrate them.  No disinfectant kills all viruses. One should begin gathering data about the COVID-19 virus, its size, the proper respirator needed to avoid it, as well as the type of disinfectant that will denature its protein shell.

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AUTHOR
R.E. Sutherland, M.Ed./sciences
Freelance Investigative Science Reporter since 1996
24 years – Virginia Licensed Science Teacher (biology, chemistry, physics)
9.3 years-Nuclear lab and Nuclear Radiological Protection Inspector
1992 – Certificate of Completion for “Teaching Nuclear Topics”
Author: American and Russian Alliance of 1858 (ISBN: 13: 9780595215010)
1998 – GOP Primary candidate for SC State Superintendent of Education
2000 – GOP Primary candidate for SC Governor
2004 – Libertarian candidate for US Senate
Web Archive in the Library of Congress:
http://webarchive.loc.gov/lcwa0016/2004*/www.reb4liberty.com/

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