Questions: Multiple Choice Question Which statements regarding viruses are true? Viruses that infect bacteria are called bacteriophages. The terms virus and phage are interchangeable. Some viruses can infect both prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.

Multiple Choice Question
Which statements regarding viruses are true?
Viruses that infect bacteria are called bacteriophages.
The terms virus and phage are interchangeable.
Some viruses can infect both prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.
Transcript text: Multiple Choice Question Which statements regarding viruses are true? Viruses that infect bacteria are called bacteriophages. The terms virus and phage are interchangeable. Some viruses can infect both prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.
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Solution

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The answer is the first one: Viruses that infect bacteria are called bacteriophages.

Explanation for each option:

  1. Viruses that infect bacteria are called bacteriophages.

    • This statement is correct. Bacteriophages, or simply phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacterial cells.
  2. The terms virus and phage are interchangeable.

    • This statement is incorrect. While all phages are viruses, not all viruses are phages. The term "phage" specifically refers to viruses that infect bacteria, whereas "virus" is a broader term that includes all types of viruses, regardless of the host they infect.
  3. Some viruses can infect both prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.

    • This statement is incorrect. Viruses are typically host-specific, meaning that a virus that infects prokaryotic cells (like bacteria) does not infect eukaryotic cells (like those of plants, animals, and fungi), and vice versa. There are no known viruses that can infect both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Summary: The correct statement is that viruses that infect bacteria are called bacteriophages. The other statements are incorrect because the terms virus and phage are not interchangeable, and viruses do not typically infect both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

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