Question

The large object in the picture above is a single bacteria cell. The many small structures attached to it are viruses called

bacteriophages which are attaching to the receptor sites on the bacteria cell. Which of the following is one important
difference between a virus and a bacteria cell?

Answer 1

Answer Options:

a. a virus is much larger in size than a bacterial cell

b. a virus always causes more severe disease than a bacterial cell

c. a virus can never reproduce on its own, but a bacterial cell can

d. a virus does not contain genetic material, but a bacterial cell does

Answer:

c. a virus can never reproduce on its own, but a bacterial cell can

Explanation:

A virus is not cellular, and is significantly smaller than bacterial cells. Because they aren't cellular, to reproduce, viruses have to infect other cells. Inside the cell, they hijack the cell's machinery to allow their genome to be replicated and new viral particles to form. This is how viruses reproduce. Bacteria reproduce by asexual reproduction.