Polio is an RNA virus.
Understanding Poliovirus's Genetic Material
Poliovirus, the causative agent of poliomyelitis, possesses a single-stranded RNA genome. This RNA is of positive polarity (+ssRNA), meaning it can directly act as messenger RNA (mRNA) for protein synthesis within the host cell. The genome is approximately 7500 nucleotides long and is housed within a protein capsid, making it a non-enveloped virus. Poliovirus - Wikipedia Global RNA Structure Analysis of Poliovirus Identifies a Conserved ... Disease factsheet about poliomyelitis New polio vaccines - NIBSC
Several sources confirm this:
- The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): States that polioviruses are "small single-stranded RNA viruses."
- Numerous scientific articles and publications: Consistently identify the poliovirus genome as single-stranded RNA.
- Wikipedia: Clearly defines poliovirus as having a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome.
While some sources mention complementary DNA (cDNA) copies being made for research purposes, Cloned Poliovirus Complementary DNA Is Infectious in Mammalian ... the virus itself is fundamentally RNA-based. The cDNA is a synthetic DNA copy, not the naturally occurring genetic material of the virus.
In contrast to the poliovirus itself, some polio vaccines utilize inactivated or attenuated forms of the virus, but the fundamental genetic material of the virus remains RNA.
