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Viruses are composed of two main parts: an outer protein covering called a capsid and an inside core of either DNA or RNA. Not both DNA and RNA. Some of these have an envelope over the capsid. The ones that do not are said to be naked. The proteins in the capsid allow the virus to attach to the "docking stations" proteins of the host cell. The naked viruses are more resistant to changes in the environment.
Some naked viruses include poliomyelitis, warts, the common cold, chickenpox, shingles, mononucleosis, herpes simplex (cold sores), influenza, herpes viruses and HIV (AIDS).
Some enveloped viruses include norovirus (stomach bug), rotavirus and human papillomavirus (HPV).
The envelope can be damaged by freezing temperatures, chlorine, and phenol. If damaged, the virus cannot infect.

Viruses are not an organism at all. They are not alive. They are nonliving. They are like cockle burrs that "grab" hold of your clothing or a dog’s coat. They are hijackers. Once they get attached to the cell of a living cell, they can take it over and "make" the living cell produce virus particles instead of cell parts. These particles can assemble into more viruses and then they break out of the cell (killing it) and begin the process again. They cannot make more viruses on their own.

They are very small and can be considered ultramicroscopic. We were not able to see them with the best light microscopes as we could bacteria (prokaryotes). We have to use an electron microscope to see them as they are that small. This was not available until recently.

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12y ago

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