Based on your understanding of the chapter material and the information in the passage, which of the following best defines something as a virus? Are virophages a type of virus or something different?

a. It must have a capsid and double-stranded or single-stranded DNA. Virophages are therefore a type of virus.
b. It must have a capsid and a linear nucleic acid that encodes replication enzymes. Virophages are therefore not a type of virus.
c. It must have an envelope, capsid, and nucleic acid, which can be double-stranded or single-stranded, and DNA or RNA. Virophages are therefore not a type of virus.
d. It must have a capsid and linear nucleic acid. Virophages are therefore a type of virus.
e. It must have a capsid and a nucleic acid, which can be double-stranded or single-stranded, circular or linear, and DNA or RNA. Virophages are therefore a type of virus.

Virophages are the small circular dsDNA viruses which are parasitic to the other giant viruses. The virophages reduce the number of other giant viruses by using their replication machinery to replicate themselves.

The virophages are considered the virus due to the presence of the circular double-stranded DNA enclosed in a capsid.

In the given question the possibility of the features shown by the virophages is maximum in the Option which has stated the similarity of the virus to the virophages like in the option-E.

Thus, Option-E is the correct answer.