Editing Lytic cycle (section)

{{Short description|Cycle of viral reproduction}}
{{Distinguish|Lysogenic cycle}}

[[Image:Phage2.JPG|300px|thumb|Lytic cycle, compared to lysogenic cycle]]The '''lytic cycle''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɪ|t|ɪ|k}} {{Respell|LIT|ik}}) is one of the two cycles of [[Bacteriophage|viral]] [[reproduction]] (referring to bacterial viruses or [[bacteriophage]]s), the other being the [[lysogenic cycle]]. The lytic cycle results in the destruction of the infected [[cell (biology)|cell]] and its membrane. [[Bacteriophages]] that can only go through the lytic cycle are called [[virulent]] phages (in contrast to [[Temperateness (virology)|temperate]] phages).

In the lytic cycle, the viral [[DNA]] exists as a separate free floating molecule within the bacterial cell, and replicates separately from the host bacterial DNA, whereas in the lysogenic cycle, the viral DNA is integrated into the host genome. This is the key difference between the lytic and lysogenic cycles. However, in both cases the virus/phage replicates using the host DNA machinery.