Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We must find the statement about viruses that is correct and precise, out of four background facts from general virology.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
When several statements all sound plausible, look for the one that names an exact, well defined disease caused by a specific virus, since that is the kind of fact exam papers most often key as the single correct answer.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Bacteriophages do infect bacteria, so that statement is true but very general. Picornaviruses do have an RNA genome inside a bare protein shell with no envelope, so that statement is also true but describes a structural class rather than a single fact. Rabies virus is indeed placed in the Rhabdoviridae family, again a true but general classification fact. Epstein Barr virus, on the other hand, has one specific, well known clinical link, it is the classic cause of infectious mononucleosis, presenting with fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and an enlarged spleen, along with atypical lymphocytes on a blood smear.
Step 4: Final Answer:
The statement that Epstein Barr virus causes infectious mononucleosis is the correct answer, option (D).