Final answer:
Viral replication in animal viruses involves attachment, penetration, uncoating, replication, assembly, and release; the process can result in lytic or lysogenic cycles. Understanding these processes is essential for comprehending how viruses cause disease and their economic impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
Viral replication is a complex process that involves several defined stages. The replication process of animal viruses includes the following steps: attachment, penetration, uncoating, replication, assembly, and release. During the attachment phase, the virus identifies and binds to a host cell. This is followed by penetration, where the viral genetic material enters the host cell. Uncoating is the process by which the viral nucleic acid is released from the capsid. Next, replication occurs where the viral genetic material is duplicated. In the assembly phase, new viral particles are constructed. Finally, during release, the newly formed viruses exit the host cell, often causing cell lysis.
Viruses can follow a lytic or lysogenic cycle. The lytic cycle results in the destruction of infected cells and the release of new virus particles. Contrastingly, the lysogenic cycle involves integration of the viral genome into the host DNA, replicating along with it harmlessly until a trigger causes its reactivation.
Understanding the replication process of viruses, including retroviruses and latent viruses, is crucial for grasping how viruses cause disease and the subsequent economic impacts on agriculture and human health. Oncogenic viruses, another significant group, have the potential to cause cancer by disrupting normal cellular regulation. Measures for prevention and treatment of viral infections are pivotal for the wellbeing of living organisms.