Replication

This chapter provides an overview of the key stages in virus replication, including the historic experiments which resulted in our present understanding. It describes, step by step, how replication unfolds, starting with the initial interaction between the virus and a host cell and finishing with the release of infectious virus particles which can go on and infect new cells. Since these processes are essential in the replication cycle, understanding how they can be blocked specifically without damaging the host cell is the key to understanding how antiviral drugs work.