Natural method of horizontal gene transfer among bacteria includes -

TRANSDUCTION: the trannsfer of a poion of the DNA from one bacterium to another by a abactriophage is known as transduction . bacteriophages are viruses that parasitise the bacteria and consist of a nucleic acid core and a protein coat. a phage paicle may have its core beside its own nucleic acid a segment of hostDNA . when this paicle infects another bacterium DNA transfer is effected and the recepient cells acquire new characteristic coded by the donor DNA. it appers to be the most widespread mechanism of gene transfer among prokaryotes and provides an excellent tool for the genetic mapping of bacteria . it has been propsed as a method of genetic engineering in the treatment of some inborn errors of metabolism. REF:Ananthanarayan and Panicker's Textbook ofMicrobiology 8thEdition pg no:63