Question

How do viruses multiply?

Answer 1

Viruses are infectious, minute non-cellular agents that can only replicate and divide into a host cell. They are not classified as non-living or living as they consist of characteristics of both living and non-living entities. They comprise genetic material that invades and replicates only in the living host cell. After replication, it kills the host cell.

Complete answer:
Viruses are microscopic elements of approximately 30-50nm in size. They lack cell walls but are surrounded by a thick protein covering known as the capsid that protects and maintains rigidity. In the capsid, the genetic material of the virus is present that can either be the DNA or the RNA. Virus infections predominantly rely upon a host to convey the complex metabolic hardware of prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells for engendering. The fundamental errand of the virus is to convey its DNA or RNA genome to the host cell, which at that point can be interpreted by the host cell. The viral genome is pressed in a capsulated symmetric protein. The protein related to nucleic corrosive (otherwise called nucleoprotein) creates the nucleocapsid with the genome. Viruses spread their infection by entering into the host cell and releasing its genetic material into the cytoplasm. This results in host cell death and causes the spread of infection. They multiply by replicating their genetic material and spreading it across the hosts’ bodies. This results in the host cell death and causes the spread of infection

Note:
Viruses are classified on the presence of the type of genetic material. DNA viruses have DNA as their genetic material. DNA viruses can have either a single-stranded virus or a double-stranded virus. An example of a single-stranded DNA virus is Parvovirus and the double-stranded virus is Adenovirus. RNA viruses have RNA as their genetic material. They can also be both single-stranded (e.g. Poliovirus) and double-stranded (e.g. Reovirus).