Flirtations with phage therapy

Abstract

[Extract] Lytic bacteriophages (phages for short) are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria. Phages are diverse, numerous and ubiquitous. Most species of bacteria that have been studied in sufficient depth have been found to be susceptible to infection by at least one kind of phage. In general, phages are very host-specific. Indeed, some bacterial species are categorised into subgroups on the basis of their phage susceptibility. Conversely, a particular bacterial strain may be susceptible to infection by many different phage types. Phages have been studied intensively since the 1940s and have contributed enormously to our understanding of microbial genetics and molecular biology. Today, phages are routinely used as 'tools' in many molecular biological laboratories. The discipline of virology has its roots in the study of bacteriophages.