Phage–host interactions — When a virus enters a cell but does not replicate immediately, what is this non-productive state called?

Introduction / Context:
Temperate bacteriophages can enter a dormant relationship with the host instead of immediately replicating and lysing the cell. Recognizing this state is essential for understanding bacterial virulence conversion, phage therapy, and prophage dynamics.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Virus enters cell and does not immediately replicate.
• Context fits classic temperate phage behavior.
• For animal viruses the analogous concept is latency, but in bacteriophages it is lysogeny.

Concept / Approach:
Lysogeny occurs when phage DNA integrates into (or persists in) the bacterial chromosome as a prophage, maintained by repressor proteins that silence lytic genes. The host replicates the prophage passively during cell division, conferring immunity to superinfection by the same phage type.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Lambda phage models unequivocally define lysogeny as the nonproductive prophage state that can later switch (induce) to lysis.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Fermentation: microbial metabolism, not a viral lifecycle state.
• Symbiosis: broad ecological term, lacks genetic control implications.
• Synergism: interaction effect term, not a lifecycle state.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing lysogeny (phages) with latency (animal viruses); both are dormancy but in different biological contexts.

Final Answer:
Lysogeny