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virus (vi´rәs)   any member of a unique class of infectious agents, originally distinguished by their smallness because they could pass through fine ceramic filters that blocked all cells, as well as by their inability to replicate unless they were inside a living host cell receiving its assistance. Because these properties are shared by certain bacteria (such as the rickettsiae and chlamydiae), viruses are now characterized by their simple organization and their unique mode of replication. A virus consists of genetic material, which may be either DNA or RNA, and it is surrounded by a protein coat, and in some cases by a membranous envelope. Unlike cellular organisms, viruses do not contain all the biochemical mechanisms for their own replication; they replicate by using the biochemical mechanisms of a host cell to synthesize and assemble their separate components.




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