Hello! In this presentation you suggest that, in future studies, this phage be tested to see how well it could target a specific strain of bacteria. Do you have any specific strains in mind to test, based on the properties of the phage?
Because we have yet to identify what cluster this phage belongs to, we have not made any predictions as to what bacteria strains it is specified to infect yet.
It can also undergo a temperate lifestyle in which it will incorporate its DNA with the host DNA rather than immediate lyse. Yes it would make a difference as it is less effective in killing target bacteria hosts in comparison to lytic phages. However, because temperate phages are more abundant in nature, they can be engineered to function like a lytic phage.
Higher infection rate means that the phage is more likely to attach and infect the target bacteria host and higher burst size means the phage will release more progeny during the lyse, increasing the chances of continuous bacteria host infection.
Essentially yes. Temperate phages are the other lifecycle and they will not lyse the cell immediately so they would have to be engineered to do so in phage therapy.
Hello! In this presentation you suggest that, in future studies, this phage be tested to see how well it could target a specific strain of bacteria. Do you have any specific strains in mind to test, based on the properties of the phage?
Because we have yet to identify what cluster this phage belongs to, we have not made any predictions as to what bacteria strains it is specified to infect yet.
What is the other type of lifestyle a phage could undergo other than lytic? Would this make a difference from a phage therapy perspective?
It can also undergo a temperate lifestyle in which it will incorporate its DNA with the host DNA rather than immediate lyse. Yes it would make a difference as it is less effective in killing target bacteria hosts in comparison to lytic phages. However, because temperate phages are more abundant in nature, they can be engineered to function like a lytic phage.
Why exactly does having a higher infection and burst rate in a phage benefit its potential in being a good candidate for phage therapy?
Higher infection rate means that the phage is more likely to attach and infect the target bacteria host and higher burst size means the phage will release more progeny during the lyse, increasing the chances of continuous bacteria host infection.
Since phage have another lifecycle other than lytic, is the other one not as effective in infecting?
Essentially yes. Temperate phages are the other lifecycle and they will not lyse the cell immediately so they would have to be engineered to do so in phage therapy.