Transduction

Transduction is the transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another by a phage.

Generalized transducing phages accidently package host DNA into a small fraction of the phage capsids produced during lytic infection. Phage P1 is a commonly used generalized transducing phage for E. coli. Any region of the bacterial chromosome can be transferred by a generalized transducing phage.

Specialized transducing phages are phage that have a segment of bacterial DNA integrated into their genome. An example of a specialized transducing phage is lambda dgal, which carries the gal operon from E. coli.