Can viruses metabolize?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking whether viruses have the capability to perform metabolic processes, which are functions typically associated with living organisms. This involves understanding the characteristics of viruses and how they differ from cellular life forms in terms of metabolism.
Answer
Viruses cannot metabolize on their own.
Viruses cannot metabolize on their own.
Answer for screen readers
Viruses cannot metabolize on their own.
More Information
Viruses are metabolically inert and rely on host cells for metabolic functions necessary for their replication. Once inside a host cell, they can hijack and reprogram the cell's metabolism to facilitate their own production.
Tips
A common misunderstanding is that viruses possess their own metabolism. They do not; they must infect a host cell to utilize its metabolic machinery.
Sources
- Virus Infections and Host Metabolism—Can We Manage the ... - NCBI - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Viruses don't have a metabolism; but some have the building blocks ... - sciencedaily.com
- Viral hijacking of cellular metabolism | BMC Biology | Full Text - bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com
