Question

Describe the structure of virus

Answer 1

A virus is a small parasite that cannot reproduce by itself. Once it infects a susceptible cell, however, a virus can direct the cell machinery to produce more viruses. Most viruses have either RNA or DNA as their genetic material. The nucleic acid may be single- or double-stranded. The entire infectious virus particle, called a virion, consists of the nucleic acid and an outer shell of protein. The simplest viruses contain only enough RNA or DNA to encode four proteins. The most complex can encode 100 – 200 proteins.

Answer 2

A virus is a nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat, often a capsid, although their are variables. A virus can invade a cell by injection of the nucleic acid or by invagination of the cell membrane forming a vacuole. It dismantles the DNA of the cell and reorganizes it into viral particles that may then leave the cell and invade other disease free cells