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A bacteriophage is a type of virus that infects bacteria. In fact, the word "bacteriophage" literally means "bacteria eater," because bacteriophages destroy their host cells. All bacteriophages are composed of a nucleic acid molecule that is surrounded by a protein structure.
- How does a bacteriophage infect bacteria?
- What are viruses that infect bacteria called?
- How are bacteriophages different than the bacteria they infect?
- How do bacteriophages destroy bacteria?
- What type of organism is a bacteriophage?
- What is bacteriophage in microbiology?
- What is the main host type of bacteriophage?
- What diseases do bacteriophages cause?
- Can bacteriophages infect animal cells?
- How are bacteriophages and animal viruses similar?
- What are bacteriophages used for?
- What do bacteriophages do?
- What is the function of bacteriophage?
- What is the material that phages insert into bacteria?
- Where is bacteriophage found?
How does a bacteriophage infect bacteria?
To infect bacteria, most bacteriophages employ a 'tail' that stabs and pierces the bacterium's membrane to allow the virus's genetic material to pass through. The most sophisticated tails consist of a contractile sheath surrounding a tube akin to a stretched coil spring at the nanoscale.
What are viruses that infect bacteria called?
More common, but less understood, are cases of viruses infecting bacteria known as bacteriophages, or phages.
How are bacteriophages different than the bacteria they infect?
Bacteria can be infected by tiny viruses called bacteriophages (phages). 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.
How do bacteriophages destroy bacteria?
Bacteriophages kill bacteria by making them burst or lyse. This happens when the virus binds to the bacteria. A virus infects the bacteria by injecting its genes (DNA or RNA). The phage virus copies itself (reproduces) inside the bacteria.
What type of organism is a bacteriophage?
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.
What is bacteriophage in microbiology?
A bacteriophage (/bækˈtɪərioʊfeɪdʒ/), also known informally as a phage (/ˈfeɪdʒ/), is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν (phagein), meaning "to devour".
What is the main host type of bacteriophage?
2E). There are two primary types of bacteriophages: lytic bacteriophages and temperate bacteriophages. Bacteriophages that replicate through the lytic life cycle are called lytic bacteriophages, and are so named because they lyse the host bacterium as a normal part of their life cycle.
What diseases do bacteriophages cause?
These include diphtheria, botulism, Staphylococcus aureus infections (i.e. skin and pulmonary infections, food poisoning, and toxic shock syndrome), Streptococcus infections, Pasteurella infections, cholera, Shiga toxing-producing Shigella and Escherichia coli infections, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
Can bacteriophages infect animal cells?
Bacteriophages are viruses infecting bacterial cells. Since there is a lack of specific receptors for bacteriophages on eukaryotic cells, these viruses were for a long time considered to be neutral to animals and humans.
How are bacteriophages and animal viruses similar?
Bacteriophages inject DNA into the host cell, whereas animal viruses enter by endocytosis or membrane fusion. Animal viruses can undergo latency, similar to lysogeny for a bacteriophage.
What are bacteriophages used for?
Bacteriophages (BPs) are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria without any negative effect on human or animal cells. For this reason, it is supposed that they can be used, alone or in combination with antibiotics, to treat bacterial infections.
What do bacteriophages do?
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria but are harmless to humans. To reproduce, they get into a bacterium, where they multiply, and finally they break the bacterial cell open to release the new viruses. Therefore, bacteriophages kill bacteria.
What is the function of bacteriophage?
Bacteriophage enzymes destroy the bacterial cell wall from both outside and inside by hydrolyzing carbohydrate and protein components. All these proteins protect phage genetic material, secure injection of the phage nucleic acid into the bacterial cell, and promote phage propagation.
What is the material that phages insert into bacteria?
The lysogenic cycle: The phage infects a bacterium and inserts its DNA into the bacterial chromosome, allowing the phage DNA (now called a prophage) to be copied and passed on along with the cell's own DNA.
Where is bacteriophage found?
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Also known as phages (coming from the root word 'phagein' meaning “to eat”), these viruses can be found everywhere bacteria exist including, in the soil, deep within the earth's crust, inside plants and animals, and even in the oceans.
