What is the form of nucleic acid in SARS-CoV-2?

What is the form of nucleic acid in SARS-CoV-2?

• A. Double-stranded DNA
• B. Single-stranded RNA
• C. Single-stranded DNA
• D. Double-stranded RNA

Answer: (B)

The virus carries its genome as single-stranded RNA with positive sense. This means the RNA itself can act directly as mRNA in a host cell, so ribosomes can start translating viral proteins right away without needing to convert the genome first. In contrast, DNA-based genomes or double-stranded RNA would require additional steps to produce the viral proteins. So the correct idea is that SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus with a single-stranded, positive-sense genome, using an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to replicate its RNA inside the cell.

The virus carries its genome as single-stranded RNA with positive sense. This means the RNA itself can act directly as mRNA in a host cell, so ribosomes can start translating viral proteins right away without needing to convert the genome first. In contrast, DNA-based genomes or double-stranded RNA would require additional steps to produce the viral proteins. So the correct idea is that SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus with a single-stranded, positive-sense genome, using an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to replicate its RNA inside the cell.