Final answer:
Prions are extremely resistant infectious agents without DNA or RNA, making them hard to inactivate with standard sterilization methods. They lack a genome, propagate by inducing misfolding in normal proteins, and handling requires strict guidelines.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prions are highly resistant to many methods of deactivation, including heat, chemicals, and radiation, making their inactivation and neutralization particularly challenging. These proteinaceous particles are linked to various fatal neurodegenerative diseases and lack nucleic acids, which means they do not carry DNA or RNA.
The resistance of prions to standard sterilization methods like autoclaving and common chemicals such as phenol, alcohols, formalin, and B-propiolactone means that affected tissues can remain infectious even after proposed decontamination procedures. This leads to stringent handling and disposal practices that must follow federal guidelines to prevent further transmission of these infectious agents.
Answering the question directly, prions do not have a genome since they do not contain genetic material in the form of DNA or RNA. These misfolded proteins propagate by inducing normal proteins to also misfold, thus creating more prions and perpetuating the disease process.