The key difference between lytic and lysogenic cycle is that during the lytic cycle the host cell undergoes lysis while during the lysogenic cycle, the host cell does not undergo lysis straight away.
Viruses are infectious particles that cannot multiply on their own. They do not have a cellular structure (acellular). Since they cannot reproduce outside a living system, they are known to be ‘non-living obligate parasites’. In order to replicate, they must enter into a live cell of another organism and then undergo their multiplication process. The process of viral multiplication within the live cell is known as ‘replication’. There are two different viral replication patterns as the lytic cycle and lysogenic cycle. These patterns can also be interchangeable. Some viruses are capable of showing both these patterns. They first replicate with the lysogenic cycle and then switch to the lytic cycle.
