Question

How do Bacteriophages survive?

Answer 1

Bacteriophages:

1. Bacteriophages are viruses-infecting bacteria.
2. They are also known as phages or simply bacterial viruses because Bacteriophage refers to any group of viruses that infect bacteria.
3. Bacteriophages are viruses that parasitize bacteria and reproduce within them.
4. They come in various shapes and have genetic variations. As genetic material, they may contain DNA or RNA.

Characteristics of Bacteriophages:

1. There are several types of bacteriophages in the environment, but each type can only infect one or a few types of bacteria.
2. They are simple organisms, like all other viruses, consisting of a core of genetic material surrounded by a protein capsid.
3. After infecting a cell, it completely controls it, preventing it from producing bacterial components and forcing it to produce viral components.
4. They eventually cause the host bacterial cell to lyse.
5. They also participate in a process known as transduction, in which Bacteriophages remove a portion of their host cell's DNA and insert it into the genome of new host cells.
6. The phage's head is made up of 2000 capsomeres that contain the genetic material—double-stranded DNA or single-stranded RNA.
7. The tail is made up of an inner hollow tube encased in a contractile sheath with 24 annular rings.
8. The trail's distal end is made up of a basal plate with tail fibers at each corner.

Importance of Bacteriophages:

1. Phage therapy- Due to their similar mode of action, they are used as antibiotics against bacteria.
2. In the food industry, they are used to kill bacteria in meat or cheese products.
3. Bacteriophages are used in diagnostics.
4. In research and studies, they serve as a model.
5. In genetic recombination, they are used as a cloning vector.