Viruses Flashcards
Where does the word virus come from?
It comes from the latin word meaning poison
What kingdom to viruses belong to?
They don’t belong to any kingdom as they are not classified as living
What do viruses do that make them non living?
- they do not carry out their own metabolic functions
- they don’t eat
- they can’t reproduce by themselves
- it must be in a cell in order to reproduce
How big are viruses
range from 20 to 250 nm
Virus definition
Viruses are very small infectious particles consisting of nucleic acid enclosed in a protein coat or a capsid and in some cases and membranous envelope
Describe viral acid or genome
It can be either double or single-stranded DNA or double or single strand RNA
Viruses can be classified as either DNA or RNA viruses
What ‘protects’ the virus?
Capsids protect the genome. A capsid is a protein shell
Nucleocapsid or naked viruses
this is a virus that consists of only a capsid
How are viruses classified?
classified by shape based on the capsid - the capsid can have various structures.
Alternative name for a bacteriophage
Phage
Bacteriophage
a virus that infects bacteria
Which virus have the most complex capsid?
Bacteriophages
Which type of virus is most well studied?
Bacteriophages
Viruses infecting animals have these things that help them infect.
membranous envelopes that surround them
Where does viral envelope come from?
It comes from the host cell’s membrane.