why are viruses harmful?
Answers
Answer:
Almost every ecosystem on Earth contains viruses.
Before entering a cell, viruses exist in a form known as virions.
During this phase, they are roughly one-hundredth the size of a bacterium and consist of two or three distinct parts:
genetic material, either DNA or RNA
a protein coat, or capsid, which protects the genetic information
a lipid envelope is sometimes present around the protein coat when the virus is outside of the cell
Viruses do not contain a ribosome, so they cannot make proteins. This makes them totally dependent on their host. They are the only type of microorganism that cannot reproduce without a host cell.
After contacting a host cell, a virus will insert genetic material into the host and take over that host’s functions.
After infecting the cell, the virus continues to reproduce, but it produces more viral protein and genetic material instead of the usual cellular products.
It is this process that earns viruses the classification of parasite.
Viruses have different shapes and sizes, and they can be categorized by their shapes.
These may be:
Helical: The tobacco mosaic virus has a helix shape.
Icosahedral, near-spherical viruses: Most animal viruses are like this.
Envelope: Some viruses cover themselves with a modified section of cell membrane, creating a protective lipid envelope. These include the influenza virus and HIV.
Other shapes are possible, including nonstandard shapes that combine both helical and icosahedral forms.
Sources
Viruses do not leave fossil remains, so they are difficult to trace through time. Molecular techniques are used to compare the DNA and RNA of viruses and find out more about where they come from.
Three competing theories try to explain the origin of viruses.