Category: Viruses
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What is the structure of a virus?
Small virions are simple nucleocapsids containing 1 to 2 protein species. The larger viruses contain in a core the nucleic acid genome complexed with basic protein(s) and protected by a single- or double layered capsid (consisting of more than one species of protein) or by an envelope
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Economic Importance of Virus
Viruses are used in biotechnology research because they share the properties of living and non-living species. The viruses can be both helpful and harmful. Bacteriophage can be used to preserve water since it can eliminate germs and maintain the freshness of the liquid.
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List of Viral Diseases
Following is a list of virus diseases that have made a significant socioeconomic impact in the last few decades.
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Classification of Viruses
Viruses can be classified primarily on their phenotypic characteristics, core content, chemical composition, capsid structure, size, shape, modes of replication and other viral genome structures. The Baltimore classification is the most commonly used for studying the system of virus classification. This system was developed by an American biologist David Baltimore in the 1970s, for which he…
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Structure and Function of Viruses
Viruses are tiny and smaller in its size, ranging between 30-50 nm. Viruses do not contain cells and usually lack a cell wall but are surrounded by a protective protein coating called the capsid. It can be seen as a genetic element and is characterized by the combined evolution of the virus and the host.…
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What is a Virus
Viruses are non-cellular, microscopic infectious agents that can only replicate inside a host cell. From a biological perspective, viruses cannot be classified either a living organism or non-living. A virus can be an infectious agent which only replicates within a host organism. This is due to the fact that they possess certain defining characteristic features…