The process of bacterial cells being broken down and destroyed by bacteriolysins or other destructive agents.
From bacterio- (bacteria) + -lysis (Greek lysis, 'breaking apart'). The term emerged in microbiology to describe the observable breakdown of bacteria.
Bacteriolysis happens constantly in your body—your immune system uses this process to destroy invading bacteria, which is why understanding this mechanism helped scientists develop both vaccines and antibiotics.
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