“phage uses the bacterium's machinery and energy to produce more phage until the bacterium is destroyed and phage is released to invade surrounding bacteria”
- Synonyms:
- bacteriophage
- Types:
-
coliphage
a bacteriophage that infects the bacterium Escherichia coli
-
typhoid bacteriophage
a bacteriophage specific for the bacterium Salmonella typhi
- Type of:
-
virus
(virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein
