Cannot do cellular respiration or synthesize proteins, etc Has either RNA or DNA, not both. All living organisms have both. Virus nucleic acid may have escaped from cells Species specific for the type of cell they came from. Genetic similarity between virus and host, more so than other viruses. Phages can be cultured in bacteria in lab, used in genetic engineering.
Temperate viruses don t always destroy host cell.
Environment may turn on lytic cycle and then host destroyed. Lysogenic conversion means bacteria with the phage DNA can have different properties than bacteria without prophage. Diptheria and botulism are diseases from toxins that are released from prophage containing cells. The same species of cells without phage DNA does not produce the disease toxins. Most viruses don t live long outside host, so survival depends on transmission form animal to animal.