What is the sequence of events that occurs during a lytic infection?

Answer 1

In a lytic infection, the virus begins by attaching to a host organism or cell, (for the sake of this example: on a bacterium), and injects its genetic material into the host, leaving its capsid (covering) '' ghost '' on the outside of the bacterium. Inside the bacterium the virus uses enzymes to cut up the original cell's DNA and then hijacks the cell's materials and processes to make new copies of its own DNA and proteins. When many copies have been made they self assemble inside the host and new capsids surround the genetic material. Then the viruses lyse (cut open) the cell in exiting it and the cell that was hijacked generally dies. Some viruses pick up a membranous coat of cell membrane on exiting the cell. This allows them to attach to a new host and the cycle begins again with the infection of a new host cell.

Simply put, the steps are:

attachment: virus attaches on to host cell surface injection: virus gains entry into the host cell

disruption of protein machinery

utilize the stored metabolic energy of the host to create progeny virusesprogeny viruses are then ready to infect other host cells they move out of the host cell by breaking open the host cell's membrane (lysis)

The end result is a lytic infection.

See the related questions below for more details about the Lytic Cycle of viral infections.