Bacteriophage - Wikipedia
A bacteriophage (/ b æ k ˈ t ɪər i oʊ f eɪ dʒ /), also known informally as a phage (/ ˈ f eɪ dʒ /), is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term is derived from Ancient Greek φαγεῖν (phagein) 'to devour' and bacteria .
Bacteriophages - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
Sep 26, 2022 · Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect and replicate only in bacterial cells. They are ubiquitous in the environment and recognized as the earth's most abundant biological agent. They are extremely diverse in …
Bacteriophage | Definition, Life Cycle, & Research | Britannica
Nov 29, 2024 · Bacteriophage, any of a group of viruses that infect bacteria. Bacteriophages were discovered independently by Frederick W. Twort in Great Britain (1915) and Felix d’Herelle in France (1917). Thousands of varieties of phages exist. Certain types serve key roles in …
21.2B: The Lytic and Lysogenic Cycles of Bacteriophages
Nov 23, 2024 · Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Bacteriophages may have a lytic cycle or a lysogenic cycle, and a few viruses are capable of carrying out both. When infection of a cell by a bacteriophage results in the production of new virions, the infection is …
Phages in nature - PMC
Bacteriophages or phages are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere and they are a ubiquitous feature of prokaryotic existence. A bacteriophage is a virus which infects a bacterium. Archaea are also infected by viruses, whether these should be ...
Bacteriophages – Definition, Morphology, Life cycle, Significance
Apr 14, 2024 · Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They work by attaching to specific receptors on the surface of bacterial cells and injecting their genetic material (DNA or RNA) into the cell.
Bacteriophages: Viruses That Target Bacteria - Dorotkiewicz‐Jach ...
Dec 1, 2024 · Prokaryotic viruses infecting bacteria are called bacteriophages (phages), whereas specific to archaea are known as archaeal viruses. Bacteriophages are bacterial viruses with the genetic material of either DNA or RNA, undergoing lytic, lysogenic, pseudolysogenic or chronic replication cycles.
Bacteriophages: Structure, Life Cycles, and Their Applications
Oct 7, 2024 · Bacteriophages, often referred to as phages, exhibit a fascinating structural complexity that underpins their ability to infect bacterial cells. At the core of their architecture is the nucleic acid, which can be either DNA or RNA, encapsulated within a protective protein shell known as the capsid.
Bacteriophages: Viruses That Infect Bacteria - Frontiers for …
Dec 23, 2019 · Bacteriophages are so small they do not even have a single cell, but are instead just a piece of DNA surrounded by a protein coat. When they attack a bacterium, bacteriophages can multiply very quickly until the bacterium bursts and releases lots of new phages.
Bacteriophage - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria. Bacteriophages are in every environment containing their bacterial hosts and play an important role in many biological processes; they are supposed to be the most abundant organisms on the planet [6].