Which phrase best summarises the replicative cycle of viruses?

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Question: Which phrase best summarises the replicative cycle of viruses?
Option a: 'They produce spores that germinate.' This describes bacterial or fungal reproduction or plant life cycles, not viral replication, so it is inaccurate for viruses.
Option b: 'They reproduce by budding.' While some viruses exit a host cell by budding, the statement as a whole doesn't capture the full replicative cycle and is incomplete as a general description of replication.
Option c: 'They reproduce by binary fission.' Binary fission is characteristic of many prokaryotes like bacteria, not viruses, which lack their own cellular machinery for replication and rely on host processes, making this option incorrect.
Option d: 'They reproduce by taking over the host cell.' This statement aligns with the core concept of viral replication: viruses hijack the host cell's machinery to replicate viral genomes and produce viral proteins, using the host to assemble new virus particles. This captures the essence of the replicative cycle across most viruses, though the specific steps (attachment, entry, replication, assembly, release) can vary between viruses.
In explaining why the other options are not suitable, we highlight how viruses do not carry out self-replication independently or form spores, buds, or binary fission as their main mechanism. Their dependence on a host cell to reproduce is the defining feature that drives their replication cycle.

Which phrase best summarises the replicative cycle of viruses?

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