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Overview of Bacteriophage Lifecycles and Applications

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Bacteriophage Applications - Historical Perspective and Future Potential

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ((BRIEFSBIOCHEM))

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Abstract

Bacteriophages (phages) are well-established bacteria-specific viruses whose discovery is credited to the independent and nearly simultaneous works of Twort (1915) and d’Hérelle (1917) (Summers 1999) in the early 20th century. Each of the researchers characterized phages as the pathogens of bacteria following the hint of much phage-like phenomena from the 19th and 20th centuries. The late 1930s and early 1940s represented the most significant era for phage research and its impact on biological research (Abedon and Thomas-Abedon 2010), including the research by the “Phage Group”. This group included the work of Max Delbrück and other highly notable geneticists, including James Watson and Francis Crick (Abedon 2012a). The group quickly established that phage could be used for the treatment of bacterial infections, since called “phage therapy”, and were so named. “Bacteriophage” translates to “bacteria eaters”.

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  1. School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Jessica Nicastro

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  1. Jessica Nicastro
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Nicastro, J. (2016). Overview of Bacteriophage Lifecycles and Applications. In: Bacteriophage Applications - Historical Perspective and Future Potential. SpringerBriefs in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45791-8_1

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