Question

Explain whether the viruses are called living or non living?

Answer 1

Non living properties of viruses:

• It lacks protoplast.
• It has the ability to get crystallized.
• It has the inability to live independent of a living cell.
• High spcific gravity is found.
• Absenceof respiration.
• absence of energy storing system.
• Absence of growth and division.

Living properties of viruses:

• Being formed of organic macromolecules.
• Presence of genetic material (either RNA or DNA).
• Has the ability tomultiply.
• Occurrence to mutations.
• Occurence of certain enzymes like neraminidase, transcriptase and lysozyme in certain virusese.
• Infectivity and host specificity.
• Viruses can be killed by autoclaving and UV rays.
• They take over biosynthetic machinery of the host and produce chemicals required for their multiplication.
• Causes infectious disesases like common cold, epidemic influenza,chicken pox, mumps,poliomyelitis,rabies, herpes, AIDS, SARS, ec.,

                                    By the above summary it is concluded that the viruses are only living when they are in the host cell.

 

• Viruses are only living if they are inthe body of host.
• They are considered to be non living as if they are outside the body of the host.