VIRUSES: Overview Viruses can have their own satellite viruses which borrow proteins crucial for their multiplication from the host virus, e. g Hepatitis delta virus, which causes serious liver disease in humans already infected with Hepatitis B virus Viruses alone have very little capacity to produce anything-in the absence of the host they are usually entirely dormant(under some conditions are able to make small amounts of nucleic acio Viruses differ from bacteria and fungi, which are usually capable of growth in the absence of host cells of other speciesVIRUSES: Overview • Viruses can have their own satellite viruses, which borrow proteins crucial for their multiplication from the “host” virus, e.g. Hepatitis delta virus, which causes serious liver disease in humans already infected with Hepatitis B virus. • Viruses alone have very little capacity to produce anything – in the absence of the host they are usually entirely dormant (under some conditions are able to make small amounts of nucleic acid). • Viruses differ from bacteria and fungi, which are usually capable of growth in the absence of host cells of other species