of a bacteriophage is a vital component of microbiology. Bacteriophages are used for a number of scientific applications, including the decontamination of food products, human therapy, and much more, thus it is critical to determine the concentration of the bacteriophage in a solution. Doing so allows scientists to determine bacteriophage potency, side effects, and minimal effective doses for clinical applications (Andersen et al., 2011). This experiment allows scientists to estimate the number of bacteria present in a tube of T2 bacteriophage which will infect Escherichia coli strain B (E. coli). The results can be used to determine how effective the T2 bacteriophage is in halting the growth…
Introduction Bacteriophages, informally known as phages, are a specific type of virus that only infect bacteria. Since their discovery in the early 1900s , researchers have began studying the various behaviors and interactions of phages within the environment (Poxleitner, Pope, Jacobs-Sera, Sivanathan, & Hatfull, 2016). Their name, bacteriophages, is derived from the idea that they are “bacteria eaters.” Due to their bacteria-destroying nature, they have been used in phage therapy in which they…
Between the Living and The Dead Case Study Some differences between a bacteriophage and a bacterium are that bacterium is longer than bacteriophage, some bacterium have more of a negative affect than bacteriophage on humans, bacteriophage is non-living and the bacterium is living. The bacteriophage in the text is the T-4 bacteriophage which is 200nm in length and 80-100nm wide. The bacterium in the text is the E. coli (Escherichia coli) which is 3000nm in length, which is significantly bigger…
Between the Living and The Dead Case Study Some differences between bacteriophage and a bacterium are that bacterium is longer than bacteriophage, some bacterium have more of a negative affect than bacteriophage on humans, bacteriophage is non-living and bacterium is living. The bacteriophage in the text is the T-4 bacteriophage which is 200nm in length and 80-100nm wide. The bacterium in the text is the E. coli (Escherichia coli) which is 3000nm in length, which is significantly bigger than…
This study is about isolating phage. The first step was to do an enrichment isolation then do a plaque assay and spot test. After that the next protocol was do a plaque streak, which was conducted numerous of times. Then serial dilution was conducted and RE Digests of Phage DNA as well. Last step was protocol 10.3, gel electrophoresis. The relevance of this study is important to field of biology because bacterial infections could be treated with bacteriophages. Bacteriophages can be a solution…
is often evoked purely through the act of host lysis, but very few studies have considered the chemical contributions of the viral particles themselves. Recent studies show that the marine virus particles contain significant amount of macronutrients (Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous) and that the relative difference in elemental contents between phages and their bacterial hosts has the potential to drive the differential release of nutrients upon cell lysis. Viruses contain and interact with trace…
Transformation of pGlO plasmid to an E.coli bacteria cell We pipetted 250 ul of CaCl2 transformation solution to into two separate tubes. Next, we used a sterile loop to transfer two to four larger bacteria colonies from an E.coli plate into each of the two tubes. The bacteria was observed under UV light to make initial observations. We pipetted 10 ul of pGLO plasmid (0.08 ug/ul) into one of the tubes. Both tubes were incubated on ice for ten minutes. After ten minutes of incubation, the tubes…
specialized transduction, bacteriophages infect bacteria with their DNA. In both forms of transduction, bacterial DNA is transferred due to errors in the life cycle of the bacteriophage. In both transductions, the phages are able to infect new bacteria after the cell is lysed. Generalized transduction occurs during the packaging stage of a virulent phage’s lytic life cycle. It occurs quickly. Specialized transduction occurs in the lysogenic life cycle of a temperate phage. It can go on…
Viruses are particles that depend on a host cell they infect to reproduce and carry out metabolic functions. They are considered both living and nonliving. Viruses reproduce and mutate, therefore they can be considered living. However, they also lack organelles and cytoplasm, which is characteristic of a nonliving particle. Most viruses contain either DNA or RNA enclosed in a protein coat called a capsid, and upon infecting a host it induces the host cell’s replication machinery to reproduce. A…
Introduction: Viral infections can affect many things, including bacteria. When bacteria undergo infections from a virus that virus is called a bacteriophage. After a bacteriophage infects a bacteria it can create two different phases, the lytic or lysogenic cycles. During a lytic stage the bacteriophage causes death to the bacteria. When this happens on an agar plate covered in bacteria it creates a clear spot known as a plaque. Each plaque is created by one virus so from the number of plaques…