What is a bacteriophage?

A bacteriophage is a type of virus that infects bacteria by first attacking it and then reproducing inside it. The literal meaning of the word bacteriophage is ‘bacteria eater’.

These bacterial viruses vary a lot, both in their physical shape as well as their genetic material. Each bacteriophage is composed of nucleic acid molecule surrounded by a protein structure. They may contain DNA or RNA.

Bacteriophages can only multiply and grow inside a bacterium. They attach themselves to the susceptible bacterium and hijack its cellular processes, preventing it from producing bacterial components and forcing the host cell to produce viral components instead. The newly produced bacteriophage gather together and burst out of the bacterium through a process known as cell lysis. They stop multiplying only after all the bacteria are lysed or dead. Bacteriophages are capable of hibernating or lying dormant, until they come in contact with more bacteria.

Two main types of bacteriophages have been distinguished on the basis of their interaction with bacterial cells. The first type are lytic or so-called lytic phages that replicate inside the bacterial host cells and kill the bacteria to release progeny particles at the end of their. The second type, named lysogenic or temperate phages, can reproduce using both the lytic and the lysogenic cycles.

Bacteriophages are considered to be the good guys of the virus world. Natural enemies of bacteria, they are found in water, soil, and sewage, where they help check the growth of bacteria in nature. These viruses only attack bacteria. They are don’t harm people, animals or plants.