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Updated: May 18, 2026

Protocols for Investigating the Host-tissue Distribution, Transmission-mode, and Effect on the Host Fitness of a Densovirus in the Cotton Bollworm
Published on: April 12, 2017
Coevolution of bacteria and their viruses
František Golais1, Jaroslav Hollý, Jana Vítkovská
1Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Virology, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina B2, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia. franz_golais@yahoo.de
Abstract:
Coevolution between bacteria and bacteriophages can be characterized as an infinitive constant evolutionary battle (phage-host arm race), which starts during phage adsorption and penetration into host cell, continues during phage replication inside the cells, and remains preserved also during prophage lysogeny. Bacteriophage may exist inside the bacterial cells in four forms with different evolutionary strategies: as a replicating virus during the lytic cycle, in an unstable carrier state termed pseudolysogeny, as a prophage with complete genome during the lysogeny, or as a defective cryptic prophage. Some defensive mechanisms of bacteria and virus countermeasures are characterized, and some evolutionary questions concerning phage-host relationship are discussed.
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