What are the 3 basic characteristics of viruses?

The three basic characteristics of viruses are:

1. **Acellular Nature**: Viruses are not composed of cells like bacteria, fungi, plants, or animals. Instead, they are composed of genetic material (either DNA or RNA) enclosed in a protein coat called a capsid. Some viruses may also have an outer lipid envelope.

2. **Genetic Material**: Viruses contain genetic material, either in the form of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA (ribonucleic acid). This genetic material carries the instructions necessary for viral replication and hijacking host cells’ machinery to produce more viruses.

3. **Obligate Intracellular Parasites**: Viruses cannot replicate or carry out metabolic processes independently. They require a host cell to replicate and multiply. Once inside a host cell, viruses take over the cellular machinery to produce new viral components and assemble new virus particles, often causing harm to the host cell in the process.check;https://networkershome.com/ccna-course-in-bangalore-india