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The Lytic Cycle

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In the lytic cycle, a virus replicates inside its host, assembles new virions, then bursts the cell open to release them.

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Bacteriophage T4 infects E. coli, replicates quickly, and lyses the bacterium, releasing many new phage particles at once.

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Lysis kills the host cell— a virus using only the lytic cycle cannot leave without destroying its host.