Mumps is caused by which virus?

Mumps is caused by which virus?

• A. Paramyxovirus
• B. Retrovirus
• C. Arenavirus
• D. Adenovirus

Answer: (A)

Mumps is caused by a paramyxovirus, a negative-sense, enveloped RNA virus in the Paramyxoviridae family. This group includes viruses like measles and parainfluenza, and they commonly spread via respiratory droplets. The mumps virus specifically tends to infect the salivary glands, leading to parotitis, and can cause complications such as orchitis or meningitis in some cases. The virus enters cells and uses its fusion protein to promote cell-to-cell fusion, contributing to its tissue spread. In contrast, retroviruses (like HIV) are positive-sense RNA viruses that reverse-transcribe their genome into DNA; arenaviruses are segmented negative-sense RNA viruses associated with hemorrhagic fevers; and adenoviruses are nonenveloped double-stranded DNA viruses. These differences in genome type and replication explain why those viruses do not cause mumps.

Mumps is caused by a paramyxovirus, a negative-sense, enveloped RNA virus in the Paramyxoviridae family. This group includes viruses like measles and parainfluenza, and they commonly spread via respiratory droplets. The mumps virus specifically tends to infect the salivary glands, leading to parotitis, and can cause complications such as orchitis or meningitis in some cases. The virus enters cells and uses its fusion protein to promote cell-to-cell fusion, contributing to its tissue spread.

In contrast, retroviruses (like HIV) are positive-sense RNA viruses that reverse-transcribe their genome into DNA; arenaviruses are segmented negative-sense RNA viruses associated with hemorrhagic fevers; and adenoviruses are nonenveloped double-stranded DNA viruses. These differences in genome type and replication explain why those viruses do not cause mumps.