Figure 1.

(a) An image [29] of the bulging of the membrane of a Streptococcus spp. cell after the emergence of a hole in the cell wall owing to the action of lytic enzymes. (b) An image of the cell membrane protruding from a cell undergoing lysis. Further stretching of the membrane eventually leads to rupture of the bilayer [30], and the contents of the cytoplasm leak into the environment. (c) An illustration of the cavity geometry and equilibrium membrane profiles at subcritical (i) and critical (ii) values of ρ. In (iii), ρ is supercritical, and the membrane is mechanically unstable, which leads to lysis. (Online version in colour.)