a term sometimes used for an infection initiated by using only the nucleic acid of a virus, not the intact viral particle. It is a useful microbiological technique. Under certain experimental conditions, transfection can be accomplished successfully because the process requires only the genetic (genetics) information contained in the viral genome (its full complement of genes), which is in the nucleic acid. The viral proteins are not necessary, because in many cases the protein serves no function other than to protect the virus as it is transported from one intracellular environment to another.