A virus is a tiny infectious agent that reproduces inside the cells of living hosts. They are often comprised of a protein "coat" (capsid) covered in "spikes" that bind to receptors in the membrane of host cells; and a strand of genetic material, either RNA or DNA.
They can cause a wide variety of viral diseases, though some, such as a few retroviruses and bacteriophages, may be beneficial, being found to be crucial members of the skin and digestive flora of many animals.

• See also:
• SARS-CoV-2 betacoronavirus, the lethal virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, a devastating mass infection which changed the lives of millions worldwide;
• bacteriophages, a type of complex virus which targets and infects bacteria, the most notable being the T4-Bacteriophages, arguably the second most recognisable virus;
• ebola, a lethal, worm-shaped virus which caused a severe pandemic in 2014.

• Chill, Fever, and Weird, fictional viruses which aptly cause their namesake ailments. More information can be found on the Virus (Dr. Mario) page, as these are fairly different enough from their real-world viral counterparts.

• Not to be confused with:
• computer viruses

Virus - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia