Jumbo phages belong to a group of viruses that attack bacteria. They inject their DNA and then reproduce by taking over the cell’s DNA-copying machinery. Eventually, a phage makes so many copies of ...

Microbiologists have long known that ancient, inactive viruses known as cryptic prophages can insert their genetic material into bacterial DNA. These genetic fragments allow bacteria to use ...

Peering through his microscope in 1910, Franco-Canadian microbiologist Félix d'Hérelle noticed some "clear spots" in his bacterial cultures, an anomaly that turned out to be viruses preying on the ...

As antibiotic-resistant infections rise and are projected to cause up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050, scientists are ...

Scientists are learning more about how an intriguing type of virus protects itself. Revealing its strategies could boost the fight against antibiotic resistance. Phages are viruses that attack ...

As the number of antibiotic-resistant infections continues to rise, scientists are looking to bacteriophages (“phages”), viruses that infect bacteria, as an approach to tackling antibiotic resistance.

Researchers have a new battle tactic to fight drug-resistant bacterial infections. Their strategy involves using collections of bacteriophages, viruses that naturally attack bacteria. In a new study, ...

This 2009 electron microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a large group of Gram-negative Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that had been isolated from a pure ...

Long before humans became interested in killing bacteria, viruses were on the job. Viruses that attack bacteria, termed “phages” (short for bacteriophage), were first identified by their ability to ...

A persistent infection in a pet cat’s leg after a compound fracture was repaired has finally been cured using cutting-edge experimental medicine: personalized bacteriophage therapy. Pet Siamese cat, ...

Researchers uncover a notorious cholera strain that contains sophisticated immune systems to fend off viruses, which potentially helped it to fuel a devastating epidemic across Latin America. When we ...