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Bacteriophages are among the most common and diverse entities in the biosphere. [2] Bacteriophages are ubiquitous viruses, found wherever bacteria exist. It is estimated there are more than 10 31 bacteriophages on the planet, more than every other organism on Earth, including bacteria, combined. [3]
Although bacteriophages cannot infect human cells, they are found in abundance in the human virome. [7] Phageome research in humans has largely focused on the gut, however it is also being investigated in other areas like the skin, [ 8 ] blood, [ 9 ] and mouth. [ 10 ]
Often these bacteria are found in large numbers. As a consequence, phages are found almost everywhere. [citation needed] As a rule of thumb, many phage biologists expect that phage population densities will exceed bacterial densities by a ratio of 10-to-1 or more (VBR or virus-to-bacterium ratio; see [3] for a summary of
The dominant hosts for viruses in the ocean are marine microorganisms, such as bacteria. [14] Bacteriophages are harmless to plants and animals, and are essential to the regulation of marine and freshwater ecosystems [91] are important mortality agents of phytoplankton, the base of the foodchain in aquatic environments. [92]
A prophage is a bacteriophage (often shortened to "phage") genome that is integrated into the circular bacterial chromosome or exists as an extrachromosomal plasmid within the bacterial cell. [1] Integration of prophages into the bacterial host is the characteristic step of the lysogenic cycle of temperate phages.
Most marine viruses are bacteriophages, which are harmless to plants and animals, but are essential to the regulation of saltwater and freshwater ecosystems. [14] They infect and destroy bacteria in aquatic microbial communities, and are the most important mechanism of recycling carbon in the marine environment.
A Bacillus phage is a member of a group of bacteriophages known to have bacteria in the genus Bacillus as host species. These bacteriophages have been found to belong to the families Myoviridae , Siphoviridae , Podoviridae , or Tectiviridae .
The role of virus and bacteriophages in HGT in bacteria, suggests that TP-containing genomes could be a vehicle of inter-kingdom genetic information transference all throughout evolution. [ 116 ] The adzuki bean beetle has acquired genetic material from its (non-beneficial) endosymbiont Wolbachia . [ 117 ]