Question

Are viruses prokaryotes?

Answer 1

Prokaryotes:

1. Single-celled, living organisms lack a proper nucleus and other organelles.
2. Examples- bacteria, archaea, and cyanobacteria.

Viruses:

1. They are infectious agents that replicate inside a host's body.
2. They are neither living nor non-living.
3. They are non-living because they rely on the host cell for carrying out its essential functions (replication, transcription, translation).
4. They usually lack a cell wall. Instead are surrounded by capsid (a protective protein coating)
5. DNA/RNA is present as genetic material.
6. Examples- adenovirus, Hepatitis C virus, etc.
7. They are neither prokaryotes nor eukaryotes because they are not living. They cannot survive & reproduce outside a host's body.