Lysogenic Infection: How Viruses Remain Dormant in Host Cells and Trigger Disease.

Lysogenic Infection

viral infection in which viral genetic material integrates into host cell DNA and remains DORMANT until triggered to enter the lytic cycle.

A lysogenic infection is a type of viral infection where the virus, known as a temperate virus, integrates its genetic material into the host cell’s DNA and replicates along with the host cell’s DNA. This is in contrast to a lytic infection, where the virus immediately starts replicating, destroying the host cell.

During a lysogenic infection, the virus remains dormant for a period of time, usually until the host cell is exposed to a stimulus or stressor. Once this happens, the virus is triggered to enter the lytic phase, during which it starts replicating and eventually lyses the host cell, releasing new viruses.

Examples of viruses that can cause lysogenic infections include the herpes simplex virus, which can integrate into nerve cells and remain dormant for years before reactivating to cause symptoms, and the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can integrate into skin cells and cause warts.

Lysogenic infections can sometimes be advantageous for the host cell. For example, if a virus integrates into a bacterial cell and carries a gene that gives the bacteria resistance to antibiotics, the bacteria will be able to survive exposure to those antibiotics. However, in many cases, lysogenic infections are associated with pathogenesis and disease, and can be a source of virulence factors that contribute to the development of illness.

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