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Phase 1 The spikes and fibers attach themselves to the walls of the cell or bacteria.

Phase 2 The sheath contracts and drives the core through the cell wall, like an injection!

Phase 3 The nucleic acid passes through the core, from the head, and into the host cell.

Phase 4 First the nucleic acid disappears, then about ten minutes later 100's of virions appear out of no where, causing the cell to rupture, releasing hundreds of copies of the virus that originally invaded it. This cycle is then repeated and can destroy billions of cells in a matter of hours!

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Defense against Viruses The first line of defense against viruses is the skin and mucous membrane, which also lines the gastrointestinal and respiratory passageways. The skin is tough and the high acidity of the stomach acts as an excellent disinfectant. The second line of Defense takes place when the microbes invade the blood and other tissues. That's when the white blood cells and related cells else where -- collectively called phagocytes -- converge on the invaders and proceed to literally "eat them up." Generally the phagocytes will build up in one place, causing what we call puss -- in order to eliminate the waste. Antibodies are the bodies best defense aginst viruses. However, antibodies are specific in their actions, that is that a chickenpox antibody will only attack a chickenpox virus. Thus a particular virus stimulates the production of a particular antibody.

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