Final answer:
The claim that bacteriophages can infect eukaryotic cells is false. Hence, the statement provided is false.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether bacteriophages can infect eukaryotic cells. This statement is false. Bacteriophages, often referred to as phages, are specialized viruses whose host range is limited to bacteria. They bind to specific receptor molecules on bacterial cells, inject their genetic material (be it DNA or RNA), and use the bacterial machinery to reproduce.
The life cycle of a bacteriophage can either be lytic, where the phage replicates and causes the host cell to burst, releasing new phage particles, or lysogenic, where phage DNA is incorporated into the host genome and replicated along with it until induction into the lytic cycle occurs.
Viruses that infect eukaryotic cells, like those of animals, plants, fungi, and protists, have different life cycles and must overcome the more complex cellular structures and immune defenses of these hosts. Such viruses include well-known examples like the herpesvirus, influenza virus, and plant viruses that cause significant agricultural damage.