A 10-year-old boy presents to the physician with fever, headache, and stiff neck. Examination is remarkable for asymmetric weakness and hyporeflexia. He has a poor immunization history, and poliomyelitis is diagnosed. What is the primary mechanism by which poliovirus causes paralytic disease?

A．Demyelination of lower motor neuron axons
B．Demyelination of upper motor neuron axons
C．Destruction of cell bodies of lower motor neurons
D．Destruction of muscle cells
E．Destruction of synapses between the axon and the muscle