Explain the difference between a virus and a retrovirus. Give an example of both. Thank you
A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that is capable of replicating inside the living cells of a host organism. Viruses are not considered living organisms because they cannot carry out the basic functions of life on their own, such as metabolism or cellular respiration. Instead, they are considered obligate intracellular parasites, meaning they depend on a host cell to reproduce and carry out their life cycle.
A retrovirus is a type of RNA virus that possesses a unique replication strategy involving the reverse transcription of its RNA genome into DNA. This process is in contrast to most other viruses, which use DNA as their genetic material. The term "retrovirus" is derived from the Latin word "retro," meaning "backward," highlighting the reverse transcription step.
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