Question

If a virus that normally infects cells in the lining of an elephant's lungs enters a rhinoceros..

a. it will also infect the cells in the rhinoceros lungs
b. it must be a rhinovirus
c. it will cause elephantiasis in the rhinoceros
d. it will infect the rhinoceros, but it is impossible to know which type of cell
e. it cannot infect the rhinoceros because a virus is specific to a cell type and a species

Answer 1

A virus cannot infect a different species if it is specific to a certain cell type and species.

Step-by-step explanation:

Viruses are obligate, intracellular parasites that can only infect certain species of hosts and certain cells within that host. The virus must recognize and attach to a specific living cell before entering it. In order to attach, a virus needs a specific surface molecule called a viral receptor on the host cell surface. Therefore, if a virus that normally infects cells in the lining of an elephant's lungs enters a rhinoceros, it cannot infect the rhinoceros because a virus is specific to a cell type and a species.