Are All Virus Particles from Infected Cells Infectious?

[physicsdawg]

Question about viruses ...

Homework Statement

The question is true or false: All virus particles produced from infected cells are infectious.

Homework Equations

conceptual

The Attempt at a Solution

I find this to be very confusing. On the one hand, some virions are non-infective if they become damaged or are missing part of the genome in the infected cell. I know that a virus particle is non-infective if it cannot replicate, but am not sure if 'produced' means replicated.

Is the question saying this: A cell is injected with a virus. Are all virus particles that replicate infectious?

or is it saying. A cell is injected with a virus. Are all the virus particles from this injection in the cell infectious.

what are your thoughts on the answer

 

[Bacat]

This is a poorly worded question. I would recommend emailing your instructor to ask for clarification. My best guess is that there is some line of text in the book that is the answer to this and that the person who wrote the question is just trying to see if you read that section but didn't bother to think about what the question would mean generally.

That said, I would lean towards your first idea...that it is asking if all virions produced by an infected cell would be infectious or not.

 

[Blueshift5]

?

I would first clarify the question to ensure a clear understanding of what is being asked. It is important to define key terms such as "produced" and "infectious" in this context.

If "produced" means replicated, then the answer would be false. Not all virus particles produced from infected cells are infectious. As mentioned, some virions can become damaged or have missing genetic material during replication, rendering them non-infective.

However, if "produced" simply means present or released from the infected cell, then the answer would be true. All virus particles present in the infected cell may have the potential to infect other cells.

Overall, the answer depends on the specific definition and context of the terms used in the question. It is also important to consider the specific virus in question, as different viruses may have different properties and mechanisms of infection.