Lytic Viruses -- Cell lysis? So in the video my instructor sent on viruses, he said that for lytic viruses, new viruses manufactured by the host cell could get out of the cell in one of two ways. * The new viruses would leave by exocytosis. or, * The cell would be "ruptured" and the new viruses would "erupt out of the cell". In the rupturing option, is the cell destroyed? The way he phrased it as well as his tone of voice brought to mind an image of the cell _bursting_ and the viruses spilling out....but the diagram showed a little gap in the cell membrane, and the viruses leaving from that one exit point. Which is more accurate? Thanks! evamvid

Yes, ruptured here means that the host cell is destroyed. The virus "hijacks" the cell anyway and uses its protein production machinery to make as much virus particles and its transcription enzymes to makes as many viral genomes as possible. If the ressources of the cell are exhausted, it get destroyed and the viruses are set free.

See this image (from the Wikipedia article on the lytic process). It actually doesn't matter, if the virus infects the cell from the outside or if it comes from the genome.

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1. Adsorption of the virus to the cell.
2. Injection of its genetic material into the cell.
3. Production of new viruses (hull and genome).
4. Rupture of the cell and release of the viruses.