virus study guide

Are viruses considered to be living organisms? Why or why not ?

No, viruses are not considered to be living organisms.

Are viruses considered to be cells? Would they be included in these cell theory statements?

No. Viruses are not cells. The cell theory statements do not apply to viruses as viruses are not cells.

Virus structure includes biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids.

True

Compare and contrast a virus to a cell. What would be some differences? What are some similarities?

Viruses have genetic material (DNA or RNA), and cells also have genetic material. Viruses can have proteins as part of their coat structure and some viruses also contain packaged proteins (like enzymes). Cells also contain proteins. Viruses are much smaller than cells. Since many viruses consist of simply genetic material surrounded by a protein coat, they will not have many of the components that cells have (such as a semi-permeable cell membrane, cytoplasm, and ribosomes).

Viruses only target animals (which includes humans).

false Viruses can target any cell type. Since all life is made up of cells, this can be any living organism

Viruses can be treated with antibiotics.

false. Antibiotics target bacterial cells. Viruses are not bacteria and do not respond to antibiotics.

Viruses are prokaryotes.

false. Viruses do not consist of cells; therefore, they are not prokaryotes or eukaryotes.

Viruses are smaller than the hosts they infect.

true

Viruses require a host to reproduce.

true

Viruses come in many different structures. What would these different virus structures likely have in common? What might be different?

All of these viruses would still have genetic material, either in the form of DNA or RNA. They also would have a protein coat known as a capsid. However, some of these viruses may have an envelope in addition, which covers the capsid (such as the influenza virus). Some of these viruses could also package enzymes within them.