virions









virions


noun

  1. the infectious form of a virus as it exists outside the host cell, consisting of a nucleic acid core, a protein coat, and, in some species, an external envelope.

noun

  1. a virus in infective form, consisting of an RNA particle within a protein covering
n.

coined in French, 1959, from virus (see virus) + -on.

n.

  1. A complete viral particle, consisting of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein shell and constituting the infective form of a virus.

  1. A complete viral particle, consisting of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein shell and constituting the infective form of a virus. The shell, called a capsid, protects the interior core that includes the genome and other proteins. After the virion binds to the surface of a specific host cell, its DNA or RNA is injected into the host cell and viral replication occurs with eventual spread of the infection to other host cells.
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