BRAINCAKEViruses
Viruses are non-living particles made of genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat.
They are about 0.2 to 0.3 micrometres in diameter.
Viruses enter living cells where the host cell replicates the viral genetic material and the cell's biochemistry and resources are used to make more virus.
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Key terms in this lesson
- natural selection
- The process by which organisms with advantageous alleles are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those alleles to their offspring and changing allele frequency over time.
- pathogen
- A microorganism that causes disease.
More in Communicable Diseases
- Types of Pathogens
- Bacteria
- Protoctists
- Fungi
- Modes of Action
- Plant Diseases
- Tuberculosis
- Bacterial Meningitis
All 40 lessons in Communicable Diseases · All OCR AS-level Biology topics