This is a consequence of viral growth. Changes tend to be random - breaks, fragmentation, rearrangements, formation of abnormal chromosomes, and changes in chromosome number. Note the difference between the release of those viruses that eventually contain an envelope and those that do not. Enveloped viruses pick up the host membrane when they leave. This causes the cell to burst open and release the new phage particles.
Lytic phage produce many copies of themselves.
For these new phage to be able to survive they must then reinfect new cells so that they can replicate again. Here they incorporate themselves into the bacterial genome and are replicated as the chromosome is replicated. Phage that are incorporated into the chromosome are called prophage . Return to Bios 213 Home page Return to Dr. Hill's Home Page Return to the Biology Home page.