Question

What are the 5 characteristics of a Virus?

Answer 1

Hint: A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that replicates only within an organism's living cells. Viruses infect all living things, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea. More than 9,000 virus species have been described in detail of the millions of types of viruses in the environment since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1892 article describing a non-bacterial pathogen infecting tobacco plants and Martinus Beijerinck's discovery of the tobacco mosaic virus in 1898.

Complete answer:
The genetic material of all viruses is contained in the capsid or head region. Proteins and glycoproteins make up the capsid. The construction of capsids varies greatly among viruses, with the majority being tailored to the virus's host organism.
A membranous envelope surrounds the capsid of some viruses, mostly those that infect animals. This allows viruses to enter host cells by fusing their membranes. Inside the capsid, the virus's genetic material resides; this material can be DNA, RNA, or even a small number of enzymes in some cases.
Some viruses, mostly those that infect bacteria, have a tail region in addition to the head region. The tail of a protein is a complex structure. It aids in the binding of virus genetic material to the host cell's surface as well as the introduction of virus genetic material into the host cell.
Viruses exhibit the following characteristics:
1. DNA or RNA as a genetic material are found in all viruses.
2. Viruses have a protein coat that protects the DNA or RNA they contain.
3. Viruses can't reproduce outside of a host cell.
4. Viruses can't generate their energy.
5. Viruses lack many of the cellular organelles found in other living organisms and are not made up of cells.
6. In animals, viral infections trigger an immune response that typically eliminates the infecting virus. Vaccines, which confer an artificially acquired immunity to a specific viral infection, can also produce immune responses. Some viruses, such as those that cause AIDS, HPV infection, and viral hepatitis, can evade these immune responses and cause chronic infections. Several antiviral medications are available.

Note:
The study of viruses and viral diseases, including their distribution, biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, ecology, evolution, and clinical aspects, is referred to as virology.