Hi Logan, I feel like this is a wonderful presentation and you clearly know a lot about the research. I was wondering how the machinery is taken over in the Lytic phase?
The viral DNA can produce proteins that cause the bacterial ribosomes and RNA polymerase to favor replicating the viral DNA. Or, to rip from Wikipedia, “The host’s normal synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids is disrupted, and it is forced to manufacture viral products instead.”
Well, Corndog was a contaminant in two labs in completely different buildings, which complicates the possibilities. It is possible, however, that a shared resource such as the top agar (used in plating samples) or phage buffer (used to keep phage in solution) may have been contaminated, but each lab group used their own containers of these resources, so an airborne contaminant seems a rational explanation to the proliferation of Corndog.
Your poster was very informative and I enjoyed listening to your presentation! Do you know what the other dots on the rightmost picture of the EM comparison might be? It seems like there’s a different texture than the picture to the left.
Good question that I’m not certain the answer to. I would probably just write it off as visual noise, or a quirk of the magnification, but it warrants a deeper examination. Sorry I don’t have a better answer than that.
I’m not certain. Corndog is an O cluster phage, which are generally much less common (The database used in our class has over 700 A cluster phages, and only 21 O cluster). Because it bears little genetic similarity to more common phages, it hasn’t been studied extensively, so not much is really known about the specifics of its genome. Based on a cursory glance at a comparison tool for phage genomes, Corndog has a longer genome than average, but not exceptionally so. Even the professors were stumped as to how it became a contaminant, and they will probably be looking into it in the future.
Any form of phage therapy that involves phage in a solution would be viable. This can include intravenous injection into patients, as well as topical ointments, gels, and creams. (Like airborne treatments, many of these applications are still experimental)
curesymposium.org 
Hi Logan, I feel like this is a wonderful presentation and you clearly know a lot about the research. I was wondering how the machinery is taken over in the Lytic phase?
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The viral DNA can produce proteins that cause the bacterial ribosomes and RNA polymerase to favor replicating the viral DNA. Or, to rip from Wikipedia, “The host’s normal synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids is disrupted, and it is forced to manufacture viral products instead.”
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Even though you don’t know why corndog infected your sample, I know you stated that it could’ve been airborne; but could there be other explanations?
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Well, Corndog was a contaminant in two labs in completely different buildings, which complicates the possibilities. It is possible, however, that a shared resource such as the top agar (used in plating samples) or phage buffer (used to keep phage in solution) may have been contaminated, but each lab group used their own containers of these resources, so an airborne contaminant seems a rational explanation to the proliferation of Corndog.
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Your poster was very informative and I enjoyed listening to your presentation! Do you know what the other dots on the rightmost picture of the EM comparison might be? It seems like there’s a different texture than the picture to the left.
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Good question that I’m not certain the answer to. I would probably just write it off as visual noise, or a quirk of the magnification, but it warrants a deeper examination. Sorry I don’t have a better answer than that.
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What do you suspect is so unique about the Corndog phage that it was able to contaminate almost every plate present in the laboratory?
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I’m not certain. Corndog is an O cluster phage, which are generally much less common (The database used in our class has over 700 A cluster phages, and only 21 O cluster). Because it bears little genetic similarity to more common phages, it hasn’t been studied extensively, so not much is really known about the specifics of its genome. Based on a cursory glance at a comparison tool for phage genomes, Corndog has a longer genome than average, but not exceptionally so. Even the professors were stumped as to how it became a contaminant, and they will probably be looking into it in the future.
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If this phage is not airborne, what kind of treatments can it still be used for?
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Any form of phage therapy that involves phage in a solution would be viable. This can include intravenous injection into patients, as well as topical ointments, gels, and creams. (Like airborne treatments, many of these applications are still experimental)
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