virion

American  

[vahy-ree-on, vir-ee-] / ˈvaɪ riˌɒn, ˈvɪr i- /

noun

1. the infectious form of a virus as it exists outside the host cell, consisting of a nucleic acid core, a protein coat, and, in some species, an external envelope.

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virion British  

/ ˈvaɪrɪən /

noun

1. a virus in infective form, consisting of an RNA particle within a protein covering

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virion Scientific  

/ vī′rē-ŏn′,vîr′ē- /

1. A complete viral particle, consisting of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein shell and constituting the infective form of a virus. The shell, called a capsid, protects the interior core that includes the genome and other proteins. After the virion binds to the surface of a specific host cell, its DNA or RNA is injected into the host cell and viral replication occurs with eventual spread of the infection to other host cells.

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Etymology

Origin of virion

< French virion (1959), equivalent to viri ( en ) viral ( virus, -ian ) + -on -on ¹

Example Sentences

The virion is just the dispersal mechanism, he argued.

From National Geographic

Oh wait — I forgot that we’ve managed to politicize even that tiny virion with glycoprotein spikes.

From Washington Post

The differences in the diseases that they cause are probably the result of very small molecular features, which would barely be visible when looking at the virion as a whole.

From Scientific American

Such studies might identify relationships between antibody binding sites on the virion and antibody function.

From Nature

Loss of the precursor fragment of prM lets the E protein fluctuate from its tight packing at the surface of the virion, transiently exposing otherwise buried surfaces.

From Nature