EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Most viruses reproduce through a process called lytic infection. During lytic infection, a virus enters the host cell, makes a copy of itself, and causes the cell to burst, or lyse.

Detailed explanation-2: -Viruses cannot replicate on their own, but rather depend on their host cell’s protein synthesis pathways to reproduce. This typically occurs by the virus inserting its genetic material in host cells, co-opting the proteins to create viral replicates, until the cell bursts from the high volume of new viral particles.

Detailed explanation-3: -Because of these limitations, viruses can replicate only within a living host cell. Therefore, viruses are obligate intracellular parasites. According to a stringent definition of life, they are nonliving.

Detailed explanation-4: -As viruses are obligate intracellular pathogens they cannot replicate without the machinery and metabolism of a host cell.