Cytopathic changes – Name the structures: During many viral infections, intracellular structures form that can directly disrupt normal cell architecture. What are these structures called?

Introduction:
Viruses reprogram host cells to replicate their genomes and assemble progeny. This often produces distinctive intracellular structures visible by light or electron microscopy. Recognizing and naming these structures is useful in diagnostics and pathology.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Many viruses produce accumulations of viral proteins, nucleic acids, and altered host components.
• Such accumulations may be nuclear, cytoplasmic, or both.
• These structures can be diagnostic (e.g., Negri bodies in rabies).

Concept / Approach:
The general term for these virus-induced structures is “inclusion bodies.” They may be acidophilic or basophilic, eosinophilic under H&E staining, and can represent sites of replication or assembly, or aggregates of viral components.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Associate specific diseases with inclusions (e.g., cytomegalic inclusions, Cowdry A).Step 2: Distinguish inclusions from generic chromosomal abnormalities or non-viral structures.Step 3: Identify inclusion bodies as the umbrella term used across virology.Step 4: Choose “Inclusion bodies.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Histopathology texts consistently describe viral inclusions as characteristic cytopathic effects aiding etiologic diagnosis.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Prokaryotes: refers to bacteria/archaea, not intracellular structures.
• Chromosomal disruptions: nonspecific description, not standard terminology.
• Cytocidal bodies: non-standard term; cell death is a process, not a defined structure.
• Stress granules: host RNA-protein assemblies; not synonymous with viral inclusions.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing specific named inclusions with the general category; assuming inclusions are always nuclear (many are cytoplasmic).

Final Answer:
Inclusion bodies.