A host cell is a living cell that can be infected by a virus, an intracellular bacterium or an intracellular parasite. Viruses are completely dependent on host cells, as they have no metabolism of their own and use that of the host cell to realize their genetic material and replication. In the case of other intracellular pathogens, in addition to replication, protection from the host organism's immune system or (in the case of infection of motile host cells such as macrophages, etc.) the spread of the pathogens in the host organism can also play a role in infection.
The host cell can be lysed by the pathogen during the course of the infection, the cell is destroyed and the cell contents are released together with the newly formed pathogens.
(https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirtszelle, retrieved on 14.11.2017)
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