how are viruses grouped? is it by what they infect?
grouped by shared features — usually nucleic acid genomeNO
Yes, viruses are typically grouped based on what they infect. The basic unit of classification for viruses is the species, which is defined as a group of viruses sharing the same genetic information and ecological niche (i.e., the same host species or tissue). Many viruses are further organized into families based on their physical and genetic characteristics, such as their shape, the type of genetic material they have (i.e., DNA or RNA), and how they replicate. For example, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) belongs to the Retroviridae family because it has RNA as its genetic material and uses reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA into DNA before replicating. Similarly, the influenza virus belongs to the Orthomyxoviridae family because it has segmented RNA as its genetic material and its surface proteins are encoded by genes on different RNA segments. Within each family, there may be multiple genera, each containing a group of viruses with similar characteristics.
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