A student is learning about infections that can occur in the human body. Infections could be caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungus. The student learns about two infections, influenza and ringworm, and creates a table that describes the infections.

Question

Which of the following statements correctly describes Influenza, an infection caused by a virus?

a
Influenza is caused by a virus because it is a non-living infectious agent.
b
Influenza is caused by a virus because it is a living infectious agent that invades a host cell.
c
Influenza is caused by a bacterium because it is a non-living infectious and spreads by spores.
d
Influenza is caused by a fungus, because it is a DNA genome.

Answer 1

The correct statement that describes Influenza, an infection caused by a virus, is:

a
Influenza is caused by a virus because it is a non-living infectious agent.

This statement accurately reflects that viruses are considered non-living pathogens that require a host cell to replicate and cause infection. Options b, c, and d are incorrect for various reasons—bacteria are living organisms, and fungi and spores are unrelated to influenza, which is strictly a viral infection. Additionally, influenza viruses contain RNA genomes, not DNA.