Virus in Biology
1. What is virus?
A virus is an infectious agent of a submicroscopic size that does not have the capability to replicate alone and uses other living cells to create its copies. It consists of a fragment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) enclosed by a protective coat of protein.
2. Why is virus considered a connecting link between living and non-living things?
Viruses are considered as connecting links between living and non-living organisms because of their characteristic features that are a combination of both living and non-living organisms.
3. Give few examples of diseases caused by virus.
Few examples of diseases caused by virus are :
Chickenpox
Measles
Mumps
Herpes
4. List three characteristics of virus.
Three characteristics of virus are :
- These are microscopic in nature and are invisible to the naked eye.
- Virus require a host to survive and reproduce.
- Their genetic material is either DNA or RNA.
5. What is the body structure of a virus ?
The genetic material which may be either DNA or RNA is covered by a proetin coat called capsid. The capsid is made up of small subunits called Capsomeres. Some of the virus also have an envelope outside the capsid.
Virus in Biology
Virus is an infectious agent of the submicroscopic size that cannot survive alone. Hence, it infects cells of other living organisms and replicates itself using the components of these host cells. Its biological structure is comprised of a fragment of nucleic acid that could either be DNA or RNA. The most commonly known examples of viruses are HIV Virus, Coronavirus, Ebola virus, etc.
In this article, you will learn about what is virus in biology, characteristics of virus, its structure, importance, reproduction and examples of virus.
Table of Content
- What is Virus in Biology?
- Characteristics of Virus
- Classification of Virus
- Structure of Virus
- Example of a Bacterial Virus
- Reproduction in Virus
- Importance of Virus
- Diseases caused by Virus