| CAPSID | Outer protein shell of a virus |
| SHIELD | Armour used to deflect projectiles and weapons; the shell of a tortoise/turtle; or, a type of escutcheon used in heraldry (6) |
| KERNEL | Edible part within a hard shell of a nut / the whole seed of a cereal |
| OYSTER | Shell of a man rejected by order of the monastery (6) |
| HERMIT | --- crab, a nocturnal, softbodied crustacean, living in the empty shell of a sea snail or similar molluscs (6) |
| COLDSORE | Aged with hint of spasms in the heart a the effect of a virus (4,4) |
| GERM | Beginning of a virus or of an idea? (4) |
| BLUEFUNK | After initial confusion, talk of "a virus bed" leads to state of panic (4,4) |
| RNA | Part of a virus, briefly |
| VIRAL | Of a virus |
| HERPES | Any of several inflammatory diseases of the skin caused by a virus |
| MUTATE | Change genetic composition as a virus does. (6) |
| HENDRA | Now, when medico attends a virus strain? (6) |
| INFECT | Pass on a virus (6) |
| SALIVA | In some cases, such as in yellow fever, a virus enters the mosquito as it feeds on an infected human and is transmitted via the mosquito's ___ to a subsequent victim |
| HACKER | One might code a virus |
| NACARAT | Word, thought to be referring to a colour of the shell of a mollusc that yields mother-of-pearl, for a shade of orangey-red or "sunset"; or, a fabric/linen dyed in such a hue (7) |
| VALVE | Stopcock; mechanism of a trumpet, cornet or other brass instrument; leaf of a folding door; or, each of the halves of the hinged shell of a clam, mussel or oyster (5) |
| CRUST | The outer part of bread; baked pastry shell of a pie; or, the base of a pizza (5) |
| PEARL | A small rounded lustrous gem formed in a shell of a bivalve |
