Final Answer:
Latent viruses are those that remain in a dormant or hidden state within the host's cells without causing immediate harm or showing any evident long-term detrimental effects. Thus option a is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
These viruses have the ability to remain inactive for extended periods, residing within the host's cells and occasionally reactivating to cause infection. During latency, the virus doesn't replicate actively or produce viral particles, allowing it to evade the host's immune response and persist without causing substantial harm or visible symptoms.
Unlike lytic viruses, which actively replicate, cause cell lysis, and often result in immediate harm to the host cells, latent viruses adopt a different strategy. They can integrate their genetic material into the host cell's DNA and remain in a dormant state, occasionally reactivating under certain conditions. This latent phase can persist for the lifetime of the host without causing severe damage, though reactivation may lead to recurrent infections or disease manifestation.
The characteristic feature of latent viruses, such as some herpesviruses, is their ability to establish long-term infections by remaining hidden within the host cells and causing periodic reactivations. These viruses often reside in specific cell types, such as lymphocytes, and maintain a balance between staying latent and reactivating, thereby demonstrating a relatively prolonged coexistence with the host without immediate or evident long-term harm.
Thus option a is correct.