Which of the following descriptions fits a chronic viral infection?
A. Long periods of time with essentially zero viral replication, punctuated by outbreaks of active replication and disease manifestation. Infected individuals are largely non-infectious between outbreak periods.
B. Characterized by continuous production of low levels of viral particles, potentially even in the absence of active symptoms of disease. The organism is usually still highly infectious during this time.
C. Strong viral replication causing lysis of host cells. This can lead to a disease state shortly after infection, which is steadily eliminated by the host's immune responses. Long-term immunity is usually present after the infection is cleared.