Final answer:
Herpesviruses enter host cells by membrane fusion, which involves merging the virus's envelope with the host cell's plasma membrane, releasing the virus's internal components into the cell.
Step-by-step explanation:
Attachment of herpesviruses results in membrane fusion, a process in which the host cell facilitates viral entry. This mode of entry is specific to enveloped viruses which have a lipid bilayer membrane. These viruses, such as herpesviruses, employ special fusion proteins to merge their viral envelope with the plasma membrane of the host cell. Upon fusion, the viral genome and capsid are released into the cytoplasm of the host cell.
Enveloped viruses can also enter host cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis; however, for herpesviruses, membrane fusion is the main pathway for cell entry after the initial attachment to the cell's receptors.
Once inside, the virus uses the host's cellular machinery to replicate, ultimately leading to the production of new virus particles that can infect additional cells.