Why do RNA viruses tend to have unusually high rates of mutation?
A)RNA nucleotides are more unstable than DNA nucleotides.
B)Replication of their genomes does not involve correcting errors in genome replication.
C)RNA viruses replicate faster.
D)RNA viruses can incorporate a variety of nonstandard bases.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

RNA viruses lack proofreading machinery during genome replication, which typically corrects errors in DNA replication. As a result, mutations can accumulate much more rapidly. Additionally, RNA polymerases have higher error rates than DNA polymerases.

Why Do RNA Viruses Tend to Have Unusually High Rates