Cancer is on the rise across the globe. Which term describes this phenomenon?

A. An epidemic refers to a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in a specific area or population. The localized nature of the increase in ringworm infections supports this classification.

B. Endemic refers to a disease or condition regularly found among particular people or in a certain area; it does not account for the sudden spike in infections.

C. A pandemic involves widespread outbreaks affecting multiple countries or continents, which does not apply here.

D. Prevalence measures how widespread a disease is within a population, but it does not reflect sudden increases.

A. Retroviruses do indeed have RNA as their genetic material, but the key characteristic that defines them is their ability to reverse transcribe RNA into DNA.

B. While surface antigens play a role in viral entry, this does not specifically define a retrovirus.

C. Retroviruses, such as HIV, integrate their RNA into the host cell's DNA, which is a defining feature of this virus type and crucial for its replication cycle.

D. While retroviruses can lead to cell destruction over time, this is not a defining characteristic; many viruses can cause cell damage.