Comparative genomics demonstrated that the chromosomes from bacteria and their viruses
(bacteriophages) are coevolving. This process is most evident for bacterial pathogens where
the majority contain prophages or phage remnants integrated into the bacterial DNA. Many …

The majority of the bacterial genome sequences deposited in the National Center for
Biotechnology Information database contain prophage sequences. Analysis of the
prophages suggested that after being integrated into bacterial genomes, they undergo a …

Abstract The Age of Genomics dawned only gradually for bacteriophages. It was 1977 when
the genome of phage φX174 was published and 1983 when the “large” genome of phage λ
hit the streets. More recently, the pace has quickened, so that we now have over 100 …

Fifteen healthy adult volunteers received in their drinking water a lower Escherichia coli
phage T4 dose (10 3 PFU/ml), a higher phage dose (10 5 PFU/ml), and placebo. Fecal
coliphage was detected in a dose-dependent way in volunteers orally exposed to phage. All …

When establishing lysogeny, temperate phages integrate their genome as a prophage into
the bacterial chromosome. Prophages thus constitute in many bacteria a substantial part of
laterally acquired DNA. Some prophages contribute lysogenic conversion genes that are of …

There are common themes among bacteriophage-encoded virulence factors, which include
the well-characterized bacterial toxins and proteins that alter antigenicity as well as several
new classes of bacteriophage-encoded proteins such as superantigens, effectors …

Nearly 100 years ago, Felix d'Herelle, the codiscoverer of bacteriophages, used bacteria to
control insect pests and used phages against bacterial disease. His approaches reffected
ecological insights before this branch of biology became an established scientific discipline …

Prophages were automatically localized in se‐quenced bacterial genomes by a simple
semantic script leading to the identification of 190 prophages in 115 investigated genomes.
The distribution of prophages with respect to presence or absence in a given bacterial …

Comparative phage genomics can retrace part of the evolutionary history of phage modules
encoding phage‐specific functions such as capsid building or establishment of the lysogenic
state. The diagnosis of relatedness is not based exclusively on sequence similarity, but …

Phages have been proposed as natural antimicrobial agents to fight bacterial infections in
humans, in animals or in crops of agricultural importance. Phages have also been discussed
as hygiene measures in food production facilities and hospitals. These proposals have a …