Where can viruses replicate?
Correct answer: D. Inside a living host cell
- A. In dead tissue
- B. On the surface of the skin
- C. In nutrient-rich culture media
- D. Inside a living host cell
Explanation
Viruses can replicate only inside living host cells, as they depend on the host's metabolic and genetic machinery to make copies of themselves, since they cannot produce energy or proteins on their own. In contrast, they cannot multiply in nutrient-rich culture media, because unlike bacteria, they do not grow simply by using nutrients but require a living cell to reproduce. Similarly, viruses cannot replicate on the surface of the skin, as the skin does not provide the internal cellular environment necessary for viral multiplication, even though viruses may temporarily survive there. They also cannot reproduce in dead tissue, since the cellular activities needed for replication stop once the tissue is no longer alive.
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About Biodiversity and Variety of Life
Biological classification uses taxonomic ranks, binomial nomenclature and shared characteristics to organize life into kingdoms. The major groups include prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants and animals, with comparisons based on cell type, cell wall, nutrition, body organization, reproduction and evolutionary relationships; prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus.
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