Life cycle of a virus
The life cycle of a An ultramicroscopic infectious non-cellular organism that can replicate inside the cells of living hosts, with negative consequences. is the same as other Microorganism that causes disease.. They can often survive outside a The organism lived on or in by a parasite. for long periods of time. When they do infect a suitable host cell or cells, they replicate themselves within the cell thousands of times. They do not divide and reproduce like cells, but complete the The process where a virus reproduces by infecting and then destroying a host cell..
- They replicate their Deoxyribonucleic acid. The material inside the nucleus of cells, carrying the genetic information of a living being. and The proteins that surround the DNA of a virus..
- These are then assembled into new virus particles.
- This causes the host cell or cells to burst. This is called lysis and provides the name of the 'lytic cycle'.
- Other nearby cells can then be infected with the virus. This process can be as quick as twelve hours in the case of the A common 'upset tummy' infection caused by a virus which is highly contagious. or several days for the process of Often fatal disease caused by a virus which originated in Africa..
Other types of virus called phages either join their DNA to that of their host or leave small circles of their DNA in the The living substance inside a cell (not including the nucleus). of their host cell or cells. This is called the lysogenic pathway. When these cells divide the DNA is copied. Later in the life cycle the viral DNA is copied and the lytic cycle detailed above begins.