Virus
viroid Audio
vi·roid [ vahy-roid ]
Subclass of:
Virus
Definitions related to viroids:
  • A plant virus with a genome of circular single-stranded RNA without a protein coat.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A group of pathogens comprising the smallest known agents of infectious disease. They are unencapsulated and are capable of replicating autonomously in susceptible cells. Positively identified viroids composed of single-stranded RNA have been isolated from higher plants, but the existence of DNA viroids pathogenic to animals is suspected.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Viroid, an infectious particle smaller than any of the known viruses, an agent of certain plant diseases. The particle consists only of an extremely small circular RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecule, lacking the protein coat of a virus. Viroids appear to be transmitted mechanically from one cell to...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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