Persistent infection with recurrent symptoms that 'come and go' is known as what?

• A. Latent Infection
• B. Acute Infection
• C. Chronic Infection
• D. Recurrent Infection

Answer: (A)

Latent infection describes a situation where the pathogen remains in the body in a dormant state after the initial illness, with symptoms that can disappear for a time and then reappear when the organism reactivates. This fits a pattern of persistent infection with symptoms that come and go, because the illness isn’t continually active but can flare up later. An acute infection is a short, active illness; a chronic infection involves ongoing symptoms and continuous infection; a recurrent infection refers to multiple episodes but doesn’t inherently describe dormancy and later reactivation.