Fundamentals of Microbiology

3.4.3.2 Transduction

Not all phages can transduce and not all bacteria are transducible. In generalized transduction host DNA derived from any portion of host genome becomes a part of the DNA of the mature virus particle in place of the virus genome, which gets integrated into another cell upon entry.

In specialized transduction, when a lysogenized cell reverts to lytic cycle, a part of host DNA is exchanged for phage DNA, which replicates and forms phage, which when trasnduced, the new gene gets into another cell.