The lysogenic cycle is a form of phage reproduction. It is contrasted with the lytic cycle.


The lysogenic cycle replicates the viral genome without destroying the host, in contrast to the lytic cycle, which kills the host cell.

Phage DNA is injected into the chromosome but integrates into the bacterial chromosome, becoming a prophage, a DNA molecule that is incorperated by genetic recombination into a specific site on the host's cell's chromosome.

The bacterium reproduces normally, copying the prophage and transmitting it to daughter cells. This produces a colony of bacteria with prophage.

The lytic cycle can be induced, killing the host cell. It is usually an environmental trigger, such as radiation or the presence of certain chemicals, that switches the virus from the lysogenic to the lytic cycle.

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