Which of the following acellular infectious agents can remain dormant in the body and cause recurring disease?

• A. Prions
• B. Viruses
• C. Viroids

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the nature of each acellular infectious agent: prions, viruses, and viroids. Prions are misfolded proteins that cause neurodegenerative diseases, viroids are small infectious RNA molecules affecting plants, and viruses are nucleic acid-containing entities that infect host cells.
2. Recall that dormancy refers to the ability of an infectious agent to remain inactive or latent within the host for extended periods before reactivating to cause disease.
3. Analyze which agents have mechanisms to establish latency or dormancy. Viruses, especially certain types like herpesviruses, can integrate into host cells and remain dormant, reactivating later to cause recurring infections.
4. Recognize that prions do not have a dormant phase; they cause progressive diseases without latency. Viroids infect plants and do not have a known dormant phase in animal hosts.
5. Conclude that among the options, viruses are the acellular infectious agents capable of dormancy and causing recurring disease in the body.