A phage that is released from bacteria via cell lysis.
CAUTION: POTENTIALLY AMBIGUOUS TERM
Such lysis can follow either a lytic cycle that is initiated upon phage adsorption or instead a lytic cycle that follows the induction of a prophage. To my knowledge all lytic phages are capable of the former though only temperate lytic phages are also capable of the latter.
The word "lytic" should not be used to describe phages on the basis that they are not temperate since most temperate phages technically are also lytic. Far better to describe these phages instead as either obligately lytic or professionally lytic rather than simply lytic. In addition, not all phages that are not temperate also are lytic since a handful of chronically infecting temperate phages are known.
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