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Viruses of Bacteria: Chapter 13
Reading Guide
This chapter focuses on the viruses that infect bacterial cells. Use this reading guide to
help you focus on the key ideas in the chapter.
1. What are the general characteristics of all viruses?
2. What is the name given to bacterial viruses? Who discovered bacterial viruses?
3. Know the basic parts of a typical virus, naked and enveloped.
4. If a phage causes a productive infection, what does this mean? What are the outcomes
of a productive infection?
5. What does it mean for a phage to enter a latent state? What are the phage called that
participate in this type of life cycle?
6. What is an example of a lytic phage? What is the host cell for this phage?
7. List the steps in the lytic life cycle.
8. What life cycle does Lambda phage follow? Why is it called a temperate phage?
9. What are the steps of the lambda life cycle?
10. What determines whether or not the phage will integrate in the bacterial
chromosome?
11. What location on the bacterial chromosome does lambda integrate? Between what
two genes?
12. What changes can occur to a bacterial cell when a phage is integrated in the
chromosome?
13. List two mechanisms that reduce infection of a cell by a phage.