Hepatitis B virus has which type of genome?

Hepatitis B virus has which type of genome?

• A. RNA
• B. DNA
• C. Both DNA and RNA
• D. Circular RNA

Answer: (B)

Hepatitis B virus has a DNA genome. It’s a small, circular, partially double‑stranded DNA genome, about 3.2 kilobases in size. During replication, the virus uses a pre-genomic RNA intermediate and a reverse-transcriptase enzyme to convert that RNA back into DNA inside the nucleocapsid, but the genetic material packaged into virions is DNA, not RNA. This combination—DNA as the genome with reverse transcription involved in replication—distinguishes HBV from RNA viruses, making DNA the correct genome type.

Hepatitis B virus has a DNA genome. It’s a small, circular, partially double‑stranded DNA genome, about 3.2 kilobases in size. During replication, the virus uses a pre-genomic RNA intermediate and a reverse-transcriptase enzyme to convert that RNA back into DNA inside the nucleocapsid, but the genetic material packaged into virions is DNA, not RNA. This combination—DNA as the genome with reverse transcription involved in replication—distinguishes HBV from RNA viruses, making DNA the correct genome type.