Thank you for your comment. I think that it is because having two separate methods overall increases its chance of reproduction. Through random mutation, these viruses have found the most preferred methods to infect certain bacteria, and I believe that the phages specificity and virus’s ability to infect cells in many different ways increases its odds that it can live in as many host cells as possible.
Thank you for your comment!! Most notably, this can be applied in a process known as phage therapy. Due to the specificity of the phage to certain bacterium, we can target and lyse only specific bacteria. As a result, we can target harmful bacteria without the use of antibiotics, which due to random mutations, are becoming less and less effective. In addition, phage therapy may target only certain harmful bacteria, rather than both harmful and helpful bacteria.
Thank you for your comment!! In this case, the lifecycle of the phage did not determine why we chose a lytic phage over a temperate phage. Rather, we isolated phage from a plaque that was far from other plaques because it slightly increased the chance that we only got one species of phage. Just by chance, the most isolated plaque was a lytic plaque.
Why would the phage prefer to go through one cycle over another, if both result in the same end goal of lysis?
Thank you for your comment. I think that it is because having two separate methods overall increases its chance of reproduction. Through random mutation, these viruses have found the most preferred methods to infect certain bacteria, and I believe that the phages specificity and virus’s ability to infect cells in many different ways increases its odds that it can live in as many host cells as possible.
I’m very interested in the application of this research and if the application differs across phage type.
Thank you for your comment!! Most notably, this can be applied in a process known as phage therapy. Due to the specificity of the phage to certain bacterium, we can target and lyse only specific bacteria. As a result, we can target harmful bacteria without the use of antibiotics, which due to random mutations, are becoming less and less effective. In addition, phage therapy may target only certain harmful bacteria, rather than both harmful and helpful bacteria.
What made you decide to pick the lytic phage over the lysogenic one?
Thank you for your comment!! In this case, the lifecycle of the phage did not determine why we chose a lytic phage over a temperate phage. Rather, we isolated phage from a plaque that was far from other plaques because it slightly increased the chance that we only got one species of phage. Just by chance, the most isolated plaque was a lytic plaque.
Great job Eitan! You should be so proud of all that you and Alex have accomplished this semester!
Thank you so much for all of the help this semester!!