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- Current: Jul 30, 2022
Virus
A virus is a noncellular infectious particle that consists of a protein coat and a genome of RNA or DNA. Viruses can replicate only in living cells.
Public domain image from CDC: Negative-stained TEM image depicting the ultrastructural details of an influenza virus particle, or 'virion'.
Definitions in the literature
- A particle that is too small to be seen with a light microscope or to be trapped by filters but is capable of independent metabolism and reproduction within a living cell [1].
- A noncellular infectious particle with a protein coat and a genome of RNA or DNA; replicates only in living cells [2].
- A noncellular parasitic particle that consists of a protein coat surrounding genetic material; multiplies only within a cell of a living organism (the host) [3].
