Multiple Choice
Which term best describes the process in which newly formed viruses cause the host cell to burst, releasing viral particles to infect new host cells?
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1. Introduction to Microbiology
Acellular Infectious Agents: Viruses, Viroids & Prions
Multiple Choice
Which of the following processes can viruses carry out independently?
A
Self-assembly of new viral particles after host cell infection
B
Protein synthesis using their own ribosomes
C
Replication of their genetic material using host cell machinery
D
Metabolism of nutrients for energy production
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Understand that viruses are obligate intracellular parasites, meaning they cannot carry out most life processes independently and require a host cell to replicate.
Step 2: Analyze each option by considering what viruses inherently possess and what they lack. For example, viruses do not have their own ribosomes, so they cannot perform protein synthesis independently.
Step 3: Recognize that viruses rely on the host cell's machinery to replicate their genetic material, so they cannot replicate their genome independently.
Step 4: Consider that viruses do not have metabolic pathways or organelles to metabolize nutrients for energy production, so they cannot carry out metabolism independently.
Step 5: Identify that the only process viruses can perform independently after entering the host cell is the self-assembly of new viral particles, which is a spontaneous process driven by the chemical properties of viral components.
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