Question:

Which of the following sequences of viruses is correct based on their size (nanometer) in decending order?

Show Hint

Remember the etymology: "Pico" means tiny (\(10^{-12}\)), so Picornaviruses are among the smallest animal viruses.
Conversely, Poxviruses are famously the largest animal viruses, containing double-stranded DNA genomes.
  • Poxvirus_Herpesvirus_Birnavirus_Picornavirus
  • Picornavirus_Birnavirus_Herpesvirus_Poxvirus
  • Birnavirus_Picornavirus_Herpesvirus_Poxvirus
  • Poxvirus_Herpesvirus_Picornavirus_Birnavirus
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question deals with basic virology, specifically the comparative physical sizes of different viral families.
To arrange these virus families in descending order, we must rank them from the physically largest to the smallest.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

Let us examine the characteristic dimensions and structural sizes (diameter in nanometers) of each virus group mentioned in the options:
- Poxviruses:
These are among the largest of all animal viruses.
They are brick-shaped or oval enveloped viruses, measuring approximately \( 200 \text{ to } 300 \text{ nm} \) in diameter.
Due to their massive size, they are practically at the limit of resolution of conventional light microscopes.
- Herpesviruses:
These are medium-sized enveloped viruses possessing an icosahedral capsid.
The diameter of the complete enveloped virion is about \( 150 \text{ to } 200 \text{ nm} \).
- Birnaviruses:
These are non-enveloped, icosahedral viruses with a double-stranded RNA genome.
They have a diameter of approximately \( 60 \text{ to } 70 \text{ nm} \).
- Picornaviruses:
The name "picorna" literally combines "pico" (meaning extremely small) and "rna" (describing its genomic material).
These are non-enveloped, icosahedral, single-stranded RNA viruses.
They are among the smallest known animal viruses, with a diameter of only \( 28 \text{ to } 30 \text{ nm} \).
Arranging these values in descending order (largest to smallest):
\[ \text{Poxvirus } (250\text{ nm}) > \text{Herpesvirus } (180\text{ nm}) > \text{Birnavirus } (65\text{ nm}) > \text{Picornavirus } (30\text{ nm}) \] This sequence perfectly matches the order in Option (A).

Step 3: Final Answer:

The correct descending order of the viruses based on their size is Poxvirus, Herpesvirus, Birnavirus, and Picornavirus.
Therefore, the correct choice is Option (A).
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