Answer:
C. The virus injects its nucleic acid into the host cell.
Explanation:
This step occurs in both the lytic and lysogenic cycles. In the lytic cycle, after the virus injects its nucleic acid into the host cell, the viral genome takes over the cell's machinery to produce new viruses, eventually leading to the lysis (bursting) of the host cell and release of the newly formed viruses. In the lysogenic cycle, after the viral nucleic acid is injected into the host cell, it integrates into the host cell's genome (as a prophage in the case of bacteriophages), remaining dormant for some time before initiating the lytic cycle or continuing as a lysogenic cycle.
