What term means a virus that infects bacteria?

• A. Bacteriophage
• B. Balanitis
• C. Baroreceptor
• D. Bifurcation

Answer: (A)

A virus that infects bacteria is called a bacteriophage. The name combines “bacteria” with the Greek phagein, meaning to eat, reflecting how these viruses invade bacterial cells and hijack their machinery to make more viral particles, often causing the bacteria to lyse. The other terms refer to unrelated medical concepts: balanitis is inflammation of the glans penis; baroreceptor is a pressure-sensing nerve ending in the cardiovascular system; bifurcation describes the splitting of a structure, such as a blood vessel.