how does a virus mutate?

Answer 1

Viruses co-opt an infected cell's DNA copying "machinery" to churn out millions of copies of the viral DNA. As it does this, it bypasses many of the normal error-checking enzymes, producing copies with a rather large number of random errors or mutations. Some of these are beneficial to the virus (ie, it promotes the continued expression of viral genes) and some are catastrophic. The favorable mutations end up outcompeting unfavorable ones and we end up with mutated viruses. Sometimes, viruses will exchange bits of other viruses that are also present in an infected cell. In this way, it is possible for viruses to pick up a previously unknown ability to infect a different species. This is seen for example in swine flu, since pigs and humans already share a number of other viral infections in common.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Seeing as how viruses do not have cells of their own, and cannot replicate themselves, but must hijack a cell in the host to replicate itself this seems to be a good question. Does the host cells DNA have flaws in it that lead to a mutation of a virus or does the virus itself influence a different replicating of itself? If viruses are considered by some as non-living would even the word mutate be able to be applied to it? The mutation must have something to do with the host cell that replicated it in conjunction with a virus that is perhaps slightly different than other viruses that are doing the same thing. So unique qualities in a hijacking virus would lead to a mutation in the cells copying it.

Answer 4

mutation is a random change in DNA. In most species other than viruses, if a mutation occurres, it will be fatal to the species. In viruses and bacteria however, it can be very beneficial and since they reproduce much faster than other species (some reproduce every 20 minutes), chances of having a beneficial mutation becomes much greater. Besides, both bacteria and viruses have a way of exchanging DNA particles with each other, that way if a bacterium has a beneficial gene, it can send a copy of it to another bacterium or a virus can pick it up from that bacterium when multiplying in side that bacterium.

Answer 5

How do viruses mutate?

A virus is a bit of genetic information (RNA or DNA) packaged in an envelope of proteins and/or lipids sometimes including sugars. Viruses cannot live by themselves but must be able to quickly get into eukaryotic (Plant or Animal) cells to survive. They use the energy metabolism and biosynthetic machinery of the cell to replicate themselves. During the phase of replication inside the eukaryotic cell, a virus makes a copy of its RNA or DNA and from that copy duplicates itself. The RNA or DNA in a virus usually encodes enzymes involved in this process in addition to gene sequences that encode the envelop proteins.

Answer 6

Hi. The DNA or RNA has a flaw in it. Most flaws are fatal, but some make the virus more adapted to its environment. Same as other life forms.

Answer 7

Cirric's answer is essentially correct, but viral RNA polymerases or reverse transcriptases are very error prone as compared to DNA polymerases making the mutation rate for RNA viruses very very high.