lysogeny
/laɪˈsɑdʒəni/
noun
- A process in which a virus (bacteriophage) integrates its genetic material into the DNA of a host bacterium and replicates without destroying the host cell.
- Scientists study lysogeny to understand how some bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
- Lysogeny allows a virus to remain hidden inside a bacterium for many generations.
- In lysogeny, the viral DNA is passed on to daughter cells when the bacterium divides.