phage
Noun: A virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. A phage is a parasitic entity that uses the bacterial cell's own biological machinery and energy to produce more copies of itself, ultimately destroying (lysing) the host bacterium and releasing new phage particles to infect neighboring bacteria.
The term "phage" is primarily used in scientific contexts, especially in microbiology, genetics, and medicine. It is a shortened, common form of the full term "bacteriophage."
Examples: * Scientists are studying a specific phage that targets E. coli. * The phage attached to the bacterial cell wall and injected its genetic material. * Phage therapy is being researched as an alternative to antibiotics.
- "Temperate phage": A type of phage that can integrate its genetic material into the bacterial chromosome and replicate with the host cell without immediately destroying it (entering a lysogenic cycle).
- "Virulent phage": A type of phage that immediately takes over the host bacterium's machinery to replicate, leading to the rapid lysis and death of the cell (undergoing a lytic cycle).
- Bacteriophage (n): The full, formal term for "phage."
- Phage therapy (n): The therapeutic use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections.
- Prophage (n): The genetic material of a temperate phage that has been integrated into the genome of a bacterial host.
- Bacteriophage
The word "phage" is almost exclusively used in its biological sense. It is derived from the Greek word "phagein," meaning "to eat" or "to devour," which reflects its action of consuming/destroying bacteria. It is not to be confused with the suffix "-phage" used in other words (e.g., macrophage, bacteriophage itself), which denotes something that consumes or engulfs.
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a virus that is parasitic (reproduces itself) in bacteria
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phage uses the bacterium's machinery and energy to produce more phage until the bacterium is destroyed and phage is released to invade surrounding bacteria
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