Chapter 13, Problem 2MC

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

Bacteriophages are the infectious agents having a size of 20-300 nm (nanometer). It is a non-cellular entity, so it is referred to as particles. Bacteriophages do no respire, grow, and reproduce in the outerenvironmentas they lack independent cellular metabolism and could not replicate outside the host body.Bacteriophages composed of nucleic acid core and protein coat, which surrounds nucleic acid.

On the protein coat, the glycoproteins and phospholipids are present, which help them to interact, adhere, and penetrate inside the host cell. Bacteriophagesinfect bacteria by two different life cycles: lytic cycle and lysogenic cycle. The life cycle of bacteriophages follows several stages namely attachment, entry, DNA copying along with protein synthesis, assembly of new phage, and lysis.