![]() They are seen as a possible therapy against multi-drug-resistant strains of many bacteria (see phage therapy). Phages have been used since the late 20th century as an alternative to antibiotics in the former Soviet Union and Central Europe, as well as in France. Viruses are the most abundant biological entity in the water column of the world's oceans, and the second largest component of biomass after prokaryotes, where up to 9x10 8 virions per millilitre have been found in microbial mats at the surface, and up to 70% of marine bacteria may be infected by phages. It is estimated there are more than 10 31 bacteriophages on the planet, more than every other organism on Earth, including bacteria, combined. Bacteriophages are ubiquitous viruses, found wherever bacteria exist. Phages replicate within the bacterium following the injection of their genome into its cytoplasm.īacteriophages are among the most common and diverse entities in the biosphere. Their genomes may encode as few as four genes (e.g. Bacteriophages are composed of proteins that encapsulate a DNA or RNA genome, and may have structures that are either simple or elaborate. ![]() The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν ( phagein), meaning "to devour". Structural model at atomic resolution of bacteriophage T4 The structure of a typical myovirus bacteriophage Anatomy and infection cycle of bacteriophage T4.Ī bacteriophage ( / b æ k ˈ t ɪər i oʊ f eɪ dʒ/), also known informally as a phage ( / ˈ f eɪ dʒ/), is a duplodnaviria virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. For other uses, see Phage (disambiguation).
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