Quick Read
A virus is smaller than most bacteria and must use a host cell to reproduce.
Learn More
Viruses have many shapes and sizes. One hundred nanometres is a representative value for this scale comparison.
In Depth
Whether viruses count as living depends on the definition. This cutaway is illustrative and does not model every kind of virus.
Scale measurement
100 nm · effective diameter
Quick facts
- Genetic material can be DNA or RNA.
- Viruses do not have a complete cellular structure.
- Size varies widely by type.