This
cycle is a type of
phage reproduction.
Phages either
reproduce using the
lytic cycle or the
lysogenic cycle.
The lytic cycle is a
viral reproductive cycle that culminates in death of the host cell. This refers to the
last stage of
infection, during which the
bacterium breaks open and releases the phages that were produced within the
cell.
A
virulent virus is one that produces only by a lytic cycle.
The process:
1) The
phage uses its
tail fibers to stick specific receptor sites on the
outer surface of the cell.
2) The phage injects its
DNA into the cell.
3)The cell's own DNA is
hydrolyzed.
4)The cell's
metabolic machinery is directed by phage DNA to produce phage
protiens and
nucleotides. The phage parts come together. Three
separate sets of
proteins assemble to form phage
heads,
tails, and tail
fibers.
5)The phage then directs production of the
lysozyme which
digests the
cell wall. With a
damaged wall,
osmosis causes the cell to swell and finally burst, releasing 100 to 200 phage
particles.