7.3.7: Bacteriophage Life Cycles- An Overview
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As mentioned in an earlier section, bacteriophages are viruses that only infect bacteria (also see Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)C and Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)E ). There are two primary types of bacteriophages: lytic bacteriophages and temperate bacteriophages. Bacteriophages that replicate through the lytic life cycle are called lytic bacteriophages , and are so named because they lyse the host bacterium as a normal part of their life cycle. Bacteriophages capable of a lysogenic life cycle are termed temperate phages . When a temperate phage infects a bacterium, it can either replicate by means of the lytic life cycleand cause lysis of the host bacterium, or, it can incorporate its DNA into the bacterium's DNAand become a noninfectious prophage. We will now look at the lytic life cycle and lysogenic life cycle of bacteriophages.