Question

In attempting to find the causative agent for a particular disease, you find that the agent remains infectious even after treatment with DNAse, an enzyme that degrades DNA. What could the disease's causative agent be?

Answer 1

a RNA virus

Step-by-step explanation:

Causative agents of diseases are also known as pathogens. Pathogens include bacteria, fungi, protozoas, microscopic algae, virus, etc.

Pathogens cause disease by penetrating and infecting susceptible organisms. In order to do this, they need their genomes.

The genomes of pathogens are in form of DNA, except for virus whose genome can also be in the form of RNA.

Hence, treatment with a DNA-degrading enzyme will neutralize all pathogens, except a RNA virus.