Question

1. which statement best describes how viruses disrupt normal cellular processes to cause disease?

viruses release antibiotics that destroy the cell membrane so more viral particles can be released.
viruses use cell machinery to build products the virus needs.
viruses release large amounts of energy into the cell, causing increased growth rates.
viruses block gene expression and prevent host cell dna replication.
clear all

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Viruses do not release antibiotics (antibiotics are from bacteria/fungi), so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites. They invade host cells and hijack the cell's machinery (ribosomes, enzymes, etc.) to replicate their own genetic material and produce viral proteins. This disrupts normal cellular processes as the cell's resources are diverted to viral production, which is a key mechanism of how viruses cause disease.
• Option 3: Viruses do not release energy into cells; they consume the cell's energy for their replication, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: Viruses integrate their genetic material (in some cases) or use host cell machinery for replication, they don't block host DNA replication entirely in the way described (and many viruses rely on host DNA replication machinery for their own processes), so this is incorrect.

Answer:

The correct option is the one with the statement: "Viruses use cell machinery to build products the virus needs." (Assuming this is, for example, the third option in the list of radio buttons, but based on the content, the option text is "Viruses use cell machinery to build products the virus needs.")