Give a brief account of viruses with respect to their structure and nature of genetic material. Also name four common viral diseases.
The genetic material of the viruses are covered with the protein coat known as capsid which are made up of small subunits called capsomeres. These capsomeres are arranged in helical or polyhedral geometric forms, they protect the nucleic acid of the virus. Viruses can contain either RNA or DNA as their genetic material but not both. In general, plant affecting viruses have single stranded RNA and those infecting animals have either single or double stranded RNA or double stranded DNA. Some common viral diseases are mumps, herpes, influenza, AIDS etc. Final Answer Viruses are the obligate parasites which need the body of the host so that it they can multiply. Outside the host cells they are inert.
