Viruses that infect bacteria are called:

Explanation

A provirus and a virion are not the entities that specifically affect bacteria because they refer to general stages or forms of viruses rather than specialized viruses that target bacterial cells. A provirus is the stage of a viral genome when it integrates into the DNA of a host cell, usually seen in retroviruses infecting eukaryotic cells such as humans (e.g., HIV). A virion, on the other hand, is the complete, fully assembled, and infectious form of a virus particle, which can infect a host but is not restricted to bacteria-it may target plants, animals, or humans depending on the virus type. The viruses that specifically infect and destroy bacteria are called bacteriophages (or simply phages). These bacteriophages attach to bacterial cells, inject their genetic material, and use the bacterial machinery to replicate, ultimately causing the lysis (destruction) of the bacteria. For example, the T4 bacteriophage is a well-studied virus that infects and destroys Escherichia coli bacteria.