Bacteriophage News and Research

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Bacteriophages are small, virus-like organisms that infect bacteria. They are comprised of a protein capsule around an RNA or DNA genome.

AI Genomes Create Synthetic Bacteriophages to Conquer Drug Resistant Superbugs

Using AI, researchers have designed complete, functional bacteriophage genomes from scratch and tested them against bacteria that had evolved resistance to a natural bacteriophage.

7 Aug 2026

Living Organisms Depend on Bacterial Production of Critical Vitamin B12

All living organisms need a little bit of it to form red blood cells and DNA, as well as to build and support brain and nerve cells. But it's hard to come by: Humans don't make it. Animals don't make it. Plants don't make it.

7 Aug 2026

Genetically Stable Bacteriophages Open New Frontiers for Fighting Crop Disease

Researchers have discovered that a group of viruses known to infect an agriculturally important plant pathogen has remained genetically stable for an astonishing four decades.

14 Jul 2026

New Evolutionary Theory Uses Bacteriophages to Overcome Antimicrobial Resistant Infections

A new perspective article in Biocontaminant proposes a three-part evolutionary framework for using bacteriophages to better control antimicrobial resistance.

3 Jul 2026

RNA-Based Barcoding Tool Tracks Virus-Host Interactions Inside Bacterial Communities

An interdisciplinary team of Rice University researchers has uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria - and their bacterial hosts, offering a powerful new tool for next-generation microbiome engineering.

17 Jun 2026

Brazilian Researchers Identify Forty Five New Toxins in Salmonella Samples

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered 45 new toxins produced by Salmonella bacteria, some of which are associated with foodborne infections.

12 Jun 2026

Engineered Bacteriophage Speeds up the "Training" of Plastic-Eating Bacteria

Millions of tons of plastic waste build up in landfills and oceans each year. One promising approach is to engineer microbes to break plastic down into useful chemical building blocks.

4 May 2026

Genomic Study Reveals How Bacterial ‘Armor’ Reduces Cholera Disease Severity

Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study.

2 Apr 2026

Novel Phage W5 Offers a Sustainable Solution for Foodborne Salmonella

Researchers from China have identified a novel bacteriophage that offers a highly promising "green" biocontrol solution against foodborne Salmonella.

27 Mar 2026

Reversing Memory Loss in Aging Mice by Targeting Gut Bacteria

The study uncovers how gut bacteria like Parabacteroides goldsteinii contribute to memory decline, offering insights for potential cognitive interventions.

26 Mar 2026

New CRISPR Tool Actively Reverses Antibiotic Resistance Spread

Antibiotic resistance (AR) has steadily accelerated in recent years to become a global health crisis. As deadly bacteria evolve new ways to elude drug treatments for a variety of illnesses, a growing number of "superbugs" have emerged, ramping up estimates of more than 10 million worldwide deaths per year by 2050.

9 Feb 2026

Bat Virome in Indochina Peninsula: Uncovering PEDV Evolution and Zoonotic Threats

Bats, critical reservoirs of viruses with significant cross-species spillover risks, have long been understudied in the Indochina Peninsula.

3 Feb 2026

First Fully Synthetic Bacteriophage Engineering System for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterium

Bacteriophages have been used therapeutically to treat infectious bacterial diseases for over a century.

21 Jan 2026

How Complex Microbial Communities Drive the Evolution and Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance

A new scientific review has uncovered how complex microbial communities, including those in the human gut and the natural environment, act as powerful engines that drive the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

11 Dec 2025

Phage Engineering: Characterizing Bacteriophages for Medical and Agricultural Applications

From medicine to agriculture and aquaculture, bacteriophages are poised to have a huge global impact. As viruses which target only bacterial cells, they hold promise as an alternative to antibiotics, overcoming increasing issues around antibiotic resistance.

13 Nov 2025

Phages in the Gut can Exacerbate Collateral Damage from Antibiotics

Your gut microbiome teems with bacteria-eating viruses that have longed baffled scientists. Using a new mouse model that can eliminate and revive these virus communities, Virginia Tech biologists discovered that the viruses can exacerbate collateral damage from antibiotics.

29 Apr 2025

How Streptomyces Uses Iron to Target Competitor Bacteria

Researchers at Indiana University Bloomington have identified a new mechanism by which bacteria can eliminate their competitors within intricate microbial communities, highlighting innovative strategies to utilize viruses for targeting harmful bacteria.

9 Jan 2025