General facts and characteristics of Viruses
The word virus originated from Latin word which generally mean "Slimy liquid" or "poison". General facts about viruses are given below:
- Viruses are smallest with size 20-300 nm in size, consist of nucleic acid e.g DNA or RNA.
- Each virus consist of a protein coat, some viruses have also an additional lipoprotein envelope.
- Viruses lack division of labor internally like cells.
- Obligate parasites can't grow outside the cells and can grow inside the chemically defined media.
- Some viruses have enzymes for metabolic reactions like Hepatitis B virus contain reverse transcritase.
- Most viruses are host specific in nature and they have host in all living organisms e.g. plants, animals, fungi and bacteria.
- Viruses shows 4 main morphological shapes a)-cylindrical b)-crystal c)-sphere d)-spacecraft.
- Viruses are the sign of pandemic diseases like Corona Virus that spread quickly in worldwide.
- Viruses have ability to alter their genome, new genetic recombination become the threat for host shift. It is reported fact that the severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) is shifted from horseshoe bats to humans after alterations in genome in palm civet.
- Viruses are unique that show living as well as non living characters as well. Therefore commonly known as "the organism at the edge".
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