Hi! Phage clusters are important because they help identify some of the behaviors of that phage. When 2 phages belond to the same cluster they have similar genetic material that designates the type of phage it is, lytic or lysogenic, along with various infecting genetic markers. A phage cluster is a grouping of different phage that share characterisitcs in genomes!
Hi! Phage clusters are a grouping of similar phages based on the similiarity of their genetic material. They are important because it helps show similarities of the phages that belong to the same cluster! This could be different infecting genes that vary between phages, whether a phage is temperate or lysogenic, or other genetic traits that define a phage.
Hi Srishti! I really enjoyed your presentation, you did an excellent job. If possible, could you explain a bit more about how exactly bacteriophages are used medically to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria?
Yes! Bacteriophages are used medically to combat antibiotic resistant infections as they are still able to permeate the membrane of the bacteria and lyse the cell. When a bacteria is antibiotic resistant, the bacteria becomes immune to antibiotics that are attempting to kill the bacteria. With bacteriophages being very specific to the types of bacteria they can infect, they are able to inject viral DNA regardless of antibiotic resistance and kill the infection.
Temperate phage will not directly lyse the cell. Instead it integrates the viral DNA into the genome until environmental conditions change enough to lyse the cell. This isn’t ideal because the bacteria can still grow and divide since the bacteria isn’t lysed. Temperate bacterial integration from a phage can also make it immune to other phages which could cause superimmunity which would not help treat the bacterial infection as it would be now antibiotic-resistant and pahge-resistant.
Our phage, since it is lytic, won’t be as ideal for phage therapy as it can’t directly lyse the cell with the modern research and technology we have now. However, maybe in the future, a protocol can be established to use temperate phages to treat bacterial infections which our phage could be used for. A lytic phage has more infecting capabilities which could treat the infection instantly compared to a temperate one.
Hi! Yes, by finding more phage, there are more bacteria that can be permeated with the bacteriophage which can treat bacterial illnesses. Since bacteriophages are complementary to specific strains of bacteria, the isolation of more phage means more bacteria that is able to be infected and treated in medicine.
Our research intended to add to a database of phages to help doctors and scientists treat stubborn or antibiotic resistant infections. As more bacteria becomes antibiotic resistant, phage therapy becomes a different approach to stop these infections. By finding new phages with different genetic material, they will be able to treat a plethora of different strains of bacteria. While our phage was temperate and won’t be able to be used currently for phage therapy, it provides researches with more phage to learn from. Possibly in the future, temperate phages could be used for phage therapy if we learn to maniplate the temperate behaviors of the phage.
What are phage clusters and why are they important?
Hi! Phage clusters are important because they help identify some of the behaviors of that phage. When 2 phages belond to the same cluster they have similar genetic material that designates the type of phage it is, lytic or lysogenic, along with various infecting genetic markers. A phage cluster is a grouping of different phage that share characterisitcs in genomes!
Hi! Phage clusters are a grouping of similar phages based on the similiarity of their genetic material. They are important because it helps show similarities of the phages that belong to the same cluster! This could be different infecting genes that vary between phages, whether a phage is temperate or lysogenic, or other genetic traits that define a phage.
Hi Srishti! I really enjoyed your presentation, you did an excellent job. If possible, could you explain a bit more about how exactly bacteriophages are used medically to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria?
Yes! Bacteriophages are used medically to combat antibiotic resistant infections as they are still able to permeate the membrane of the bacteria and lyse the cell. When a bacteria is antibiotic resistant, the bacteria becomes immune to antibiotics that are attempting to kill the bacteria. With bacteriophages being very specific to the types of bacteria they can infect, they are able to inject viral DNA regardless of antibiotic resistance and kill the infection.
Great job, Srishti! Why are temperate phage not as ideal for treatment, compared to lytic?
Temperate phage will not directly lyse the cell. Instead it integrates the viral DNA into the genome until environmental conditions change enough to lyse the cell. This isn’t ideal because the bacteria can still grow and divide since the bacteria isn’t lysed. Temperate bacterial integration from a phage can also make it immune to other phages which could cause superimmunity which would not help treat the bacterial infection as it would be now antibiotic-resistant and pahge-resistant.
Great Job! I am wondering about your phage in particular and what is the use of the temperate phage for therapy vs. the lytic phage.
Our phage, since it is lytic, won’t be as ideal for phage therapy as it can’t directly lyse the cell with the modern research and technology we have now. However, maybe in the future, a protocol can be established to use temperate phages to treat bacterial infections which our phage could be used for. A lytic phage has more infecting capabilities which could treat the infection instantly compared to a temperate one.
What is the big picture for this research, for example, is it meant to treat an illness?
Hi! Yes, by finding more phage, there are more bacteria that can be permeated with the bacteriophage which can treat bacterial illnesses. Since bacteriophages are complementary to specific strains of bacteria, the isolation of more phage means more bacteria that is able to be infected and treated in medicine.
What impact will your research have on the future? Is it meant to eventually treat a particular illness?
Our research intended to add to a database of phages to help doctors and scientists treat stubborn or antibiotic resistant infections. As more bacteria becomes antibiotic resistant, phage therapy becomes a different approach to stop these infections. By finding new phages with different genetic material, they will be able to treat a plethora of different strains of bacteria. While our phage was temperate and won’t be able to be used currently for phage therapy, it provides researches with more phage to learn from. Possibly in the future, temperate phages could be used for phage therapy if we learn to maniplate the temperate behaviors of the phage.