Bacteriophage News and Research

RSS

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

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

Fruit Flies Evolve New Defense Through Gene Transfer

In the continual arms race between parasites and their hosts, innovation was thought to be the key to a successful attack or defense that one-ups the competition.

26 Dec 2024

New Biogel Test Detects Bacteria Through Simple Color Change

A novel new test for bacteria in fluids makes it as easy as observing a color change to confirm the presence of disease-causing pathogens, promising much easier diagnostic tests and greater food safety.

28 Nov 2024

Gut Bacteria Influence Stress Responses Through Circadian Rhythms

A pioneering study has uncovered the vital role that gut microbiota plays in regulating stress responses by interacting with the body's circadian rhythms.

6 Nov 2024

Phages Form Unique 3D Shapes, Boosting Disease Detection

While preparing slides to be examined under a powerful microscope, a team of McMaster researchers who frequently work with bacteriophage viruses that consume bacteria had a pleasant and potentially very significant surprise.

22 Oct 2024

Phage-Derived Endolysin Offers Targeted Treatment for Dysbiosis-Driven Acute GVHD

Allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) involves transferring healthy donor stem cells to recipients with conditions like blood cancer, bone marrow failure, or certain genetic blood disorders.

11 Jul 2024

New Pipeline Studies Viruses in Humans and Coral Reefs

Tens of millions of still-unknown or poorly understood viruses have the potential to cause diseases, including new pandemics, and impact the health of valuable terrestrial and marine environments.

10 Jul 2024

RNA Molecules Govern Battle Between Cholera Bacteria and Phages

Viruses need hosts. Whether it's measles, the flu or coronavirus, viral pathogens cannot multiply or infect other organisms without the assistance of their hosts' cellular infrastructure.

5 Apr 2024

Study Deciphers Mechanism That Helps Viruses Choose to Turn Nasty or Stay Friendly

Researchers from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research at Tel Aviv University have deciphered a novel complex decision-making process that helps viruses choose to turn nasty or stay friendly to their bacterial host.

14 Mar 2024

Investigating the Antibacterial Effects of T1-Spanin on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

...

13 Mar 2024

Scientists Develop Green Antibiotic Alternative to Treat Deadly Pathogen in Hybrid Striped Bass

Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed a green antibiotic alternative to treat the deadly pathogen Streptococcus iniae in hybrid striped bass, the fourth most farmed finfish in the United States, according to a recent study.

31 Jan 2024