Shope papilloma virus

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/shope-papilloma-virus

1. What is the scientific classification?
2. What is the Shope papilloma virus and why does it make bunnies grow bumps?
3. How can the bumps from the Shope papilloma virus become dangerous for rabbits?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific classification?Kappapapillomavirus 2, family Papillomaviridae
2. What is the Shope papilloma virus and why does it make bunnies grow bumps?The Shope papilloma virus is a tiny DNA virus that infects rabbit skin cells. It causes the cells to grow into harmless bumps called papillomas, which can sometimes turn into more serious tumors.
3. How can the bumps from the Shope papilloma virus become dangerous for rabbits?While the bumps are usually harmless, they can sometimes grow into squamous cell carcinomas, which are aggressive tumors that can block a rabbit’s food or spread to other parts of the body.

Tropism: The tendency of a virus to infect specific cells or tissues within a host organism.
Keratinocytes: The primary cell type found in the epidermis, responsible for producing keratin.
Neoplastic Development: The process by which normal cells transform into cancerous cells, characterized by uncontrolled growth.
Oncogenes: Genes that have the potential to cause cancer when mutated or expressed at high levels.