Lytic and lysogenic phages take over the machinery of the cell to make phage components and eventually lyse (kill) the cell, however lysogenic do not kill the cell, in the end, instead they repeatedly replicate within the cell. Lytic phages specifically can be used to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria with the use of phage therapy, which can prevent bacteria from sharing antibiotic-resistant genes. If you would like a more in-depth explanation of phage therapy it is in the comment at the bottom. Thank you!
Hi Gabrielle, I think you did a really good job of explaining your results, but I just had a question about the plaque sizes. Why are the plaque sizes important and what size are you aiming for?
Thank you! Overall in the lab, the plaque sizes weren’t necessarily important in the aspect of “aiming for a certain size”, but rather to explain whether it is lysogenic or lytic (not completely a defining factor, there are different lifecycles for each). Due to the latent period, lysogenic or temperate plaques can be larger than lytic plaques. I just thought it would be an interesting explanation on why our temperate plaques are the size they are.
Hi Gabrielle, the presentation was great and easy to follow. I’m wondering what environment factors could be in play that makes the temperate phage undergo the lytic lifecycle, and what is the impact of this?
Environmental stressors such as exposure to certain toxic chemicals or starvation could cause the prophage to excise and enter the lytic cycle. When the phage enters the lytic cycle the host bacterium is then lysed, which means the host bacterium dies. Thank you for your question!
With further testing, and changing our phage from temperate to lytic, these bacteriophages can be used in phage therapy which is the treatment of bacterial infections. With phage therapy, we could potentially lessen the overuse of antibiotics and combat superbugs. If you would like to learn more I highly recommend looking into Steffanie Strathdee’s story about saving her husband’s life with phage!
What are lytic or lysogenic phages, and how could they be used to impact antibiotic-resistant bacteria?
what are lytic and lysogenic phages, and how can they be used to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria?
Lytic and lysogenic phages take over the machinery of the cell to make phage components and eventually lyse (kill) the cell, however lysogenic do not kill the cell, in the end, instead they repeatedly replicate within the cell. Lytic phages specifically can be used to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria with the use of phage therapy, which can prevent bacteria from sharing antibiotic-resistant genes. If you would like a more in-depth explanation of phage therapy it is in the comment at the bottom. Thank you!
Hi Gabrielle, I think you did a really good job of explaining your results, but I just had a question about the plaque sizes. Why are the plaque sizes important and what size are you aiming for?
Thank you! Overall in the lab, the plaque sizes weren’t necessarily important in the aspect of “aiming for a certain size”, but rather to explain whether it is lysogenic or lytic (not completely a defining factor, there are different lifecycles for each). Due to the latent period, lysogenic or temperate plaques can be larger than lytic plaques. I just thought it would be an interesting explanation on why our temperate plaques are the size they are.
Hi Gabrielle, the presentation was great and easy to follow. I’m wondering what environment factors could be in play that makes the temperate phage undergo the lytic lifecycle, and what is the impact of this?
Environmental stressors such as exposure to certain toxic chemicals or starvation could cause the prophage to excise and enter the lytic cycle. When the phage enters the lytic cycle the host bacterium is then lysed, which means the host bacterium dies. Thank you for your question!
You mention using this for phage treatment, how would you do that? And what would the benefits be?
With further testing, and changing our phage from temperate to lytic, these bacteriophages can be used in phage therapy which is the treatment of bacterial infections. With phage therapy, we could potentially lessen the overuse of antibiotics and combat superbugs. If you would like to learn more I highly recommend looking into Steffanie Strathdee’s story about saving her husband’s life with phage!