HIV is classified as a retrovirus because it
- A. carries double stranded DNA as its genome
- B. uses reverse transcriptase to make DNA from its RNA genome
- C. replicates inside the nucleolus of the host cell
- D. lacks an envelope around its capsid
Explanation
A retrovirus reverses the usual flow of information: its enzyme reverse transcriptase copies the single stranded RNA genome into DNA, which integrase then inserts into the host chromosome as a provirus. That integrated DNA is why HIV infection is lifelong and can stay latent for years. HIV does have an envelope, and its genome is RNA, not DNA.
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