n.类病毒；无壳病毒

Viroids are the smallest infectious pathogens known to science, consisting only of a short circular strand of RNA.
翻译：Viroids是科学已知的最小的感染性病原体，仅由一条短的环状RNA构成。
Tomato planta can be infected by the Potato spindle tuber viroid, causing severe crop damage.
翻译：番茄植株可能会被马铃薯纺锤形块茎类病毒（Potato spindle tuber viroid）感染，导致严重的农作物损害。
Viroids do not encode any proteins; instead, they replicate and spread through the host's own replication machinery.
翻译：Viroids并不编码任何蛋白质，相反，它们通过宿主自身的复制机制进行复制和传播。
Research suggests that viroids may have evolved from self-catalytic RNAs present in ancient cells.
翻译：研究表明，viroids可能是从古代细胞中存在的自催化RNA进化而来的。
Unlike viruses, viroids lack a protein coat or capsid; they are naked nucleic acid molecules.
翻译：与病毒不同，viroids不含有蛋白质外壳或衣壳，它们是裸露的核酸分子。
The Citrus exocortis viroid causes bark splitting and gummosis in citrus trees.
翻译：柑橘外皮病类病毒（Citrus exocortis viroid）会导致柑橘树树皮开裂和流胶现象。
Detection of viroids often requires sophisticated molecular techniques such as PCR or Northern blot analysis.
翻译：检测viroids通常需要依赖诸如PCR或Northern印迹分析等精密的分子技术。
The Peach latent mosaic viroid is notorious for causing disease in peach and nectarine trees worldwide.
翻译：桃潜隐性花叶类病毒（Peach latent mosaic viroid）因在全球范围内引发桃树和油桃树疾病而臭名昭著。
Despite their small size, viroids can cause significant economic losses in agriculture due to the diseases they induce.
翻译：尽管体积小，但由于其所引起的疾病，viroids能在农业中造成重大的经济损失。
Agricultural scientists are working on developing resistant cultivars and effective control measures against viroid infections.
翻译：农业科学家正在努力开发抗病品种以及针对viroid感染的有效控制措施。