Question:easy

Covishield is a vaccine used to create immunological memory against COVID-19 infection. It is made by inserting the gene coding for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into an adenovirus vector. When injected into the human body, the vector releases the gene into human cells, which then produce the spike protein. However, the adenovirus vector is not able to replicate itself because:

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Covishield is a viral vector vaccine. The adenovirus used as a vector is genetically engineered to be replication-deficient by deleting essential replication genes and inserting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein gene.
Updated On: Jun 11, 2026
  • The adenovirus only grows in bacterial populations.
  • Genes involved in growth and replication have been replaced by the spike protein coding gene.
  • The adenovirus has been attenuated; hence its growth is inhibited.
  • A killed adenovirus is injected into the human body.
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understand the type of vaccine.
Covishield is a viral vector vaccine. A modified adenovirus carries the gene for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into human cells, where the spike protein is then made and trains the immune system. We must explain why the adenovirus cannot copy itself inside us.
Step 2: Recall what a virus needs to replicate.
To multiply, a virus needs its own genes for copying its genome, making viral proteins, and assembling new particles. Remove those genes and the virus can still deliver cargo but cannot reproduce.
Step 3: See how the vector is engineered.
During design, the adenovirus's replication genes are deleted, and the spike protein gene is slotted into that empty space. This makes it a replication-deficient vector, safe but still able to express the spike protein once.
Step 4: Test option (A).
Adenoviruses infect animal cells, not bacteria, so the idea that it only grows in bacterial populations is simply wrong. (A) is rejected.
Step 5: Test options (C) and (D).
Attenuation (C) means a weakened but still living and replicating organism, which is not how Covishield is made safe. A killed-virus vaccine (D) contains inactivated particles, which is also not this design, since the vector is alive but replication-deficient. Both are rejected.
Step 6: Confirm option (B).
The accurate reason is that the genes for growth and replication were removed and replaced by the spike protein coding gene, which is the definition of a replication-deficient adenoviral vector. So (B) is correct.
\[ \boxed{\text{Genes involved in growth and replication have been replaced by the spike protein coding gene.}} \]
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