Bacteriophage

A bacteriophage, often called a phage, is a virus that specifically infects bacteria. It attaches to a bacterial cell, injects its genetic material, and hijacks the bacterium's machinery to produce more copies of itself. Once filled with new phages, the bacterial cell often bursts, releasing the new viruses to infect nearby bacteria. Bacteriophages play a natural role in controlling bacterial populations and are also studied for their potential in treating bacterial infections, especially those resistant to antibiotics. They are highly specific to their bacterial hosts, making them promising tools in medicine and microbiology.