There are 6 distinguish stages of viral replication;
1. Attachment
-affinity between the virus and the host cell's plasma membrane permits this stage.
2. Penetration
-virus particles are brought inside the cell, either by endocytosis or directly pass through the cell's plasma membrane.
3. Uncoating
-removal of capsid, to expose the viral nucleic acid.
4. Biosynthesis
-synthesis of viral nucleic acid, capsid, and enzymes.
5. Maturation
-two phases, phase I is assembly which the polypeptide chains assembled into capsomeres to form procapsid
-phase II is the intake of nucleic acid into the procapsid, forming a complete virion.
6. Release
-occurs by 3 mechanisms.
-cell lysis (host cell is killed by virus-induced)
-budding (no cell killing, usually by enveloped viruses)
-cell degeneration (after cell death, the virus released. non-virus-induced)
