Question

Which among the following belongs to the family "Retroviridac"?

• A. Human Immunodeficiency virus
• B. Ebola virus
• C. Dengue virus
• D. Influenza virus

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The question asks which virus belongs to the family "Retroviridae." Retroviridae is a family of enveloped viruses that replicate in a host cell through the process of reverse transcription. The key characteristic of viruses in this family is the presence of reverse transcriptase, which is an enzyme that transcribes RNA into DNA. Let's analyze each option:

1. Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV): HIV is a well-known virus that belongs to the Retroviridae family. It is a retrovirus because it uses reverse transcription to integrate its viral RNA into the host's DNA, thereby producing new viral particles. Therefore, this option is correct.
2. Ebola virus: This virus belongs to the family Filoviridae. It is not a retrovirus and does not utilize reverse transcription in its replication cycle, ruling out this option.
3. Dengue virus: Dengue virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae. It is not a retrovirus and does not have reverse transcriptase activity. Hence, this option is incorrect.
4. Influenza virus: Belonging to the family Orthomyxoviridae, Influenza viruses are RNA viruses but they do not employ reverse transcription, eliminating this option as well.

Thus, the correct answer is the Human Immunodeficiency virus, as it is the only virus among the given options that belongs to the family Retroviridae.

Understanding the concept of retroviruses is crucial for biology exams, especially topics surrounding virology and genetic replication mechanisms.