Prophage Integration in Bacteria

The lysogenic cycle shows how bacteriophages can infect bacteria without killing the host right away. In this cycle, the phage genome joins the bacterial genome. The integrated phage DNA is called a prophage, and the bacterium copies it each time it replicates.

Some prophages can switch back into...

When large numbers of bacteriophages are present, they can enter an alternative replication mode, the lysogenic cycle, where phages can reproduce without killing their host.

This cycle begins much like the lytic cycle. The phage first attaches to the host cell and injects its DNA. However, once inside, the phage DNA recombines and inte...