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When a virus is not a parasite: the beneficial effects of prophages on bacterial fitness

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Abstract

Most organisms on the planet have viruses that infect them. Viral infection may lead to cell death, or to a symbiotic relationship where the genomes of both virus and host replicate together. In the symbiotic state, both virus and cell potentially experience increased fitness as a result of the other. The viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages (or phages), well exemplify the symbiotic relationships that can develop between viruses and their host. In this review, we will discuss the many ways that prophages, which are phage genomes integrated into the genomes of their hosts, influence bacterial behavior and virulence.

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  1. Departments of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Joseph Bondy-Denomy & Alan R. Davidson

  2. King’s College Circle, Medical Sciences Building Rm. 4285, Toronto, ON, M5S1A8, Canada

    Joseph Bondy-Denomy & Alan R. Davidson

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Bondy-Denomy, J., Davidson, A.R. When a virus is not a parasite: the beneficial effects of prophages on bacterial fitness. J Microbiol. 52, 235–242 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-014-4083-3

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