A bacteriophage infects a bacterial cell by injecting nucleic acid into the bacterium.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. They do not enter the bacterial cell but instead use their tail fibers to attach to the bacterial cell wall and inject their nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) into the cell. This nucleic acid takes over the metabolism of the bacterial cell, causing it to produce more of the viral nucleic acid and proteins, ultimately leading to lysis (bursting) of the cell and release of the viral particles.

A Bacteriophage Infects a Bacterial Cell by Injecting Nucleic Acid