Question

How does bacteriophage multiply?

Answer 1

Replication of bacteriophage:

1. Bacteriophages are virus cells that attack bacteria.
2. The term bacteriophage means ‘Bacteria enter’.
3. Hence, they attack and kill bacteria and use bacterial machinery to replicate.
4. They invade the bacterial cell, to create multiple copies of themselves inside the host bacteria, in turn killing the bacteria via releasing new phage cells (lytic cycle).
5. The phage upon entering the bacterial cell, produces more copies of its DNA.
6. The phage DNA is then transcribed to produce RNA to be translated into phage proteins.
7. These phage proteins are packaged to release new phage cells, lysing the bacteria and killing it.
8. The phage can also enter into the lysogenic cycle, in which the phage DNA gets integrated into the host genome and stays dormant for many replicative cycles.
9. After which, the phage DNA has now been spread into many bacterial cells, hence, it returns to the lytic phase to release the phage cells.
10. Hence, they use bacteria as the host and infect them to multiply.