Multiple Choice
Which of the following best describes acellular vaccines and subunit vaccines?
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1. Introduction to Microbiology
Acellular Infectious Agents: Viruses, Viroids & Prions
Multiple Choice
Mad cow disease is caused by a noncellular infectious agent called a:
A
virus
B
bacteriophage
C
prion
D
viroid
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that Mad cow disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting cattle, caused by an infectious agent that is not a typical cellular organism like bacteria or viruses.
Recall the types of infectious agents: viruses (which contain nucleic acids and protein), bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria), viroids (small infectious RNA molecules without protein), and prions (infectious proteins without nucleic acids).
Recognize that prions are unique because they are misfolded proteins that can induce other normal proteins to misfold, leading to disease, and they lack nucleic acids.
Identify that Mad cow disease is caused by prions, which distinguishes it from diseases caused by viruses, bacteriophages, or viroids.
Conclude that the correct classification of the infectious agent causing Mad cow disease is a prion.
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