Why do viruses need a living host?

Answer 1

Because they are not living organisms themselves, so they have no way to produce energy or materials to create replications of themselves without "hijacking" the cells of living organisms to do that for them. Viruses are particles made of chemicals, proteins and some with fats plus genetic instructions that they carry and are able to insert into the cells of hosts through chemical processes, but they are not self-sustaining. They don't eat or use photosynthesis like animals and plants. So they use the genetic instructions to make the cell work as a factory to reproduce themselves using the fats, proteins, and chemicals from the host. Reproduction is the only goal of these particles.

Answer 2

it cannot replicate its structure by itself because it is acellular and so has to inject a host cell with its RNA and "instruct" it to replicate the RNA for it.

Viruses generally have either DNA or RNA, not both, and since both nucleic acids are needed for replication, viruses depend on their host cell to replicate them.

Answer 3

Viruses aren't even considered living entities. They do not have a means to reproduce on their own, so they need living cells to reproduce. Viruses alter the cell's "blueprint" and the cell begins to make more viruses. When the host dies, the cells die, and the virus cannot reproduce. Eventually it just breaks down.

Answer 4

They do not. They replicate using the cell's "machinery". This is to that they can survive and grow in numbers, and in turn killing the cell. Viruses can survive unfavourable conditions by staying within the cell also

Answer 5

Viruses need a living host because they cannot reproduce or carry out metabolic processes on their own. They rely on the host cell's machinery to replicate and produce new virus particles. Without a host, viruses cannot survive and thrive.

Answer 6

Because they have no enzymes necessary for metabolism and have no structures to make proteins.