What is the cell where a virus reproduces called?

The cell where a virus reproduces is called a host cell. Viruses cannot reproduce independently because they lack the cellular machinery needed to make proteins, copy genetic material, and assemble new virus particles.

During infection, a virus first attaches to specific molecules on a susceptible cell. It then enters the cell or delivers its genetic material inside. The virus redirects the host cell’s systems to copy viral DNA or RNA and manufacture viral proteins. These components are assembled into new virus particles, which may leave by bursting the cell, a process called lysis, or by budding through the cell membrane.

“Host” can also refer to the entire infected organism, such as a person, plant, or bacterium. The more precise term for the individual site of viral replication is “host cell.” Viruses differ in the cells they can infect; this preference is known as cell tropism and depends partly on receptors found on the cell surface.