Define the term bacteriophages

Question

Define the term bacteriophages?

Answer 1

The Bacteriophages are viruses specialized in parasitism of bacteria. They are employed in genetic engineering as molecular cloning vehicles to insert recombinant DNA into bacteria. They were too employed in the former Soviet Union to treat the bacterial infections.

Bacteriophages contain a polyhedron-like capsid and DNA as the genetic material. The head of the virus is joined to a tail which ends in small fibers which help the virus to join to the bacterial cell wall and to inject its genetic material into the host.