Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Science

Variations in virus tails may help predict which phages kill more bacterial strains

Bacteriophages—or phages, for short—are viruses that kill bacteria, and scientists have been studying them for decades as a possible solution to antibiotic-resistant infections. But phages are notoriously picky eaters—a phage that can eradicate one bacterial strain is often powerless against others,...

Variations in virus tails may help predict which phages kill more bacterial strains
Image: Phys.org
Bacteriophages—or phages, for short—are viruses that kill bacteria, and scientists have been studying them for decades as a possible solution to antibiotic-resistant infections. But phages are notoriously picky eaters—a phage that can eradicate one bacterial strain is often powerless against others, even if the bacteria are closely related. This means a phage that works for one patient may be useless for the next.

Originally published at Phys.org

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