Answer to Question #138753 in Biology for Johannes Steven

Question

1. What are the two components shared by all viruses?

2. Viruses are generally considered to be non living. Should viroids and prions also be viewed as non living. Why or why not?

3. A wart is caused by a virus that may lie dormant for years before any symptoms appear. Does this resemble a lytic or Lysogenic infection? Explain.

Answer 1

1) The two components shared by viruses are

• Nucleic acid genome
• Protein capsid that covers the genome

2) Viroids and prions should be viewed as non-living. This is because they are metabolically inactive and unable to reproduce outside a host.

3) It resembles lysogenic infection. This is because it is longer than lytic one and can lie dormant for years before any symptoms appear.