Which statement is correct about plant viruses?

Which statement is correct about plant viruses?

• A. Plant viruses cannot infect animals
• B. Plant viruses infect only bacteria
• C. Plant viruses are not found in plants
• D. Plant viruses require animal hosts

Answer: (A)

Plant viruses are specialized to infect plant hosts, so they cannot infect animals. This is because viruses rely on compatible receptors and cellular machinery found in their specific hosts, and plant viruses have evolved to move through plant tissues (often via plasmodesmata) and to be spread by plant-specific vectors like insects. Animals have different cell structures, immune defenses, and cellular environments that don’t support replication of these plant-adapted viruses. The other statements don’t fit: bacteriophages infect bacteria, not plants; plant viruses are indeed found in plants; and they do not require animal hosts to complete their life cycle.

Plant viruses are specialized to infect plant hosts, so they cannot infect animals. This is because viruses rely on compatible receptors and cellular machinery found in their specific hosts, and plant viruses have evolved to move through plant tissues (often via plasmodesmata) and to be spread by plant-specific vectors like insects. Animals have different cell structures, immune defenses, and cellular environments that don’t support replication of these plant-adapted viruses. The other statements don’t fit: bacteriophages infect bacteria, not plants; plant viruses are indeed found in plants; and they do not require animal hosts to complete their life cycle.