Final answer:
Viruses responsible for major human medical conditions may have either RNA or DNA genomes, which are typically much smaller compared to bacterial genomes and can be single-stranded or double-stranded.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many viruses responsible for major human medical conditions have RNA or DNA genomes. Viruses with RNA genomes, for example, include HIV and Influenza, while DNA viruses cause diseases such as chickenpox, hepatitis B, herpes, and HPV-associated cervical cancer. Viral genomes can be either single-stranded or double-stranded and exhibit significant diversity in their structures.
Viral genomes are smaller than most bacterial genomes and encode for a limited number of genes. This is because viruses rely heavily on their host cells for replication and other metabolic functions. The variation in genome size and structure among viruses allows them to adapt to different hosts and environmental conditions, contributing to their diversity and evolution.