The general characteristics of viruses are:
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Viruses are infective microorganisms and are widely distributed in nature. They are much smaller in size than bacteria usually about 20-400 nm.
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Viruses are acellular entities i.e. they do not have cytoplasm or any cell organelles such as mitochondria, ribosome, lysosome etc.
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They have only one nucleic acid either DNA or RNA. However, some viruses have both.
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Viruses do not have an independent metabolism. They cannot multiply outside the living cell.
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They are relatively simple in structure consisting of Nucleic Acid core surrounded by protein coat.
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Viruses do not have the power of growth and division
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Smaller viruses can be crystallized
