In coliphage viruses the nucleic acid is

Options

A. RNA only
B. DNA only
C. DNA or RNA
D. DNA and RNA

Answer

To solve the question regarding the nucleic acid present in coliphage viruses, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Term "Coliphage":**
- Coliphages are a specific type of bacteriophage, which are viruses that infect bacteria. The term "coli" refers to Escherichia coli (E. coli), a common bacterium found in the intestines.

2. **Identify the Nature of Bacteriophages:**
- Bacteriophages can have either DNA or RNA as their genetic material. However, it is important to note that the majority of bacteriophages, including coliphages, typically contain DNA.

3. **Examine the Options Provided:**
- The options given are:
- A) RNA only
- B) DNA only
- C) DNA or RNA
- D) DNA and RNA
- Since we know that coliphages are a type of bacteriophage, we need to determine which of these options correctly describes the nucleic acid present in coliphages.

4. **Determine the Correct Answer:**
- Based on the understanding that coliphages, like most bacteriophages, primarily contain DNA as their genetic material, we can conclude that the correct answer is:
- **B) DNA only.**

5. **Final Confirmation:**
- To confirm, we can recall that coliphages specifically target E. coli and that their genetic material is DNA, which aligns with the characteristics of bacteriophages.

### Final Answer:
The nucleic acid in coliphage viruses is **DNA only**.

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