Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,590,166,049 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

phage

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
phage (fāj) bacteriophage.
phage (fj)

phage.
bacteriophage [bak-te´re-o-fāj″]
a virus that destroys bacteria by lysis; several varieties exist, and usually each attacks only one kind of bacteria. Certain types attach themselves to the cell membrane of the bacterium and instill a charge of DNA into the cytoplasm. DNA carries the genetic code of the virus, so that rapid multiplication of the virus takes place inside the bacterium. The growing viruses act as parasites, using the metabolism of the bacterial cell for growth and development. Eventually the bacterial cell bursts, releasing many more viruses capable of destroying similar bacteria. Called also bacterial virus. adj., adj bacteriopha´gic.

With some bacteria, notably those of the Streptococcus family, infection by certain phages can dramatically alter pathogenicity, converging previously innocuous microbes into deadly pathogenic strains. The so-called “flesh-eating” viruses are a striking example. They are relatively harmless bacteria until new geletic material is incorporated via a phage or plasmid.
temperate bacteriophage one whose genetic material (prophage) becomes an intimate part of the bacterial genome, persisting and being reproduced through many cell division cycles; the affected bacterial cell is known as a lysogenic bacterium.

phage

phage type
an intraspecies type of bacterium demonstrated by phage typing; called also lysotype and phagotype.
phage typing
characterization of bacteria, extending to strain differences, by demonstration of susceptibility to one or more (a spectrum) races of bacteriophage; widely applied to staphylococci, typhoid bacilli, etc., for epidemiological purposes.


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?  References in periodicals archive?   Medical browser?   Full browser?
 
A sampling of topics from the first volume: bacteriophage enrichment from water and soil, isolation of phage via induction of lysogens, enumeration of bacteriophages by double agar overlay plaque assay, basic phage electron microscopy, construction of phage mutants, generalized transduction, and preparation and characterization of anti-phage serum.
The cultures are extremely phage robust so eliminating one of the significant causes of financial loss.
A question-answer format lends to review and covers a range of topics, from spoilage and Phage to automation testing and pair-wise.
 
 
 
Medical Dictionary
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.