Which virus is characterized by replication in the cytoplasm and is among the largest DNA viruses?

Which virus is characterized by replication in the cytoplasm and is among the largest DNA viruses?

• A. Variola virus
• B. Poxvirus
• C. Molluscum contagiosum virus
• D. Monkeypox virus

Answer: (A)

Poxviruses uniquely replicate in the cytoplasm because they carry the full set of transcription and replication enzymes needed for life cycle steps outside the host nucleus. This makes them among the largest DNA viruses, with complex, large genomes. Variola virus, the agent of smallpox, is a classic example of a poxvirus that replicates entirely in cytoplasmic viral factories and has a very large dsDNA genome. So, it fits the description of a cytoplasm-replicating, among the largest DNA viruses.

Poxviruses uniquely replicate in the cytoplasm because they carry the full set of transcription and replication enzymes needed for life cycle steps outside the host nucleus. This makes them among the largest DNA viruses, with complex, large genomes. Variola virus, the agent of smallpox, is a classic example of a poxvirus that replicates entirely in cytoplasmic viral factories and has a very large dsDNA genome. So, it fits the description of a cytoplasm-replicating, among the largest DNA viruses.