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A Virus
is defined as a nonliving particle composed of a nucleic acid and a protein coat. We all probably had a
cold or will have a cold soon because of flu season. A cold or better known as influenza is causes by a virus! Through out
this website you will find out a lot about viruses or virology, the study of viruses.
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Characteristics
of Viruses
The shapes of viruses are determined by the arrangement
of proteins in their Capsid. Some viruses are rod-shaped, such
as the Tobacco Mosaic virus. Other viruses are polyhedral, like the Adenovirus, and Polio virus.
Viruses have some characteristics of living organisms.
Like living organisms, viruses contain nucleic acids and proteins.
Viruses lack some characteristics of living organisms.
Outside of living cells, viruses are not alive. Outside of the living cells, viruses cannot move, grow, or reproduce. Viruses
require living cells called host cells to be "alive". Ultimately, viruses act as parasites and harm or destroy their host
cells.
And the table below shows some common viruses of humans.
I got this out of my book to show all of you.
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Examples of diseases they cause
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icosahedral, non-enveloped
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warts, cancer
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icosahedral, non-enveloped
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respiratory, and intestinal infections
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herpers simplex, chickenpox,shingles, infectious mononucleosis
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complex brick-shaped, envoloped
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small pox, cow pox
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icosahedral, non-enveloped
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poliomyelitis, hepartitis, cancer
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Myxoviruses
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Helical, enveloped
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influenza A, B, C
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Rhabdoviruses
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rabies
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Petroviruses
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icosahedral, eneloped
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AIDS, cancer
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