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Viral Growth Requirements
Diseases caused by viruses cannot be treated using antibiotics.
Suggest why viruses cannot be grown on agar.
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Marking points
- 1 Explains that viruses require living cells to exist or reproduce, whereas agar supplies no living cells.
Full-mark answer
Viruses can reproduce only inside living host cells, and agar does not contain living cells.
Why this answer loses marks
Viruses are too small to grow on agar.
Size is not the issue; viruses require living host cells, while agar is not living.