Bacteriophages

BACTERIOPHAGES
  • Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. They were discovered independently by Frederick W.Twort in England in 1915 and by Felix d’ Herelle at Pasteur institute in France in 1917.
  • Twort discovered that bacterial colonies some times underwent lysis and that this effect could be transmitted from colony to colony. Even high dilutions of the material from a lysed colony after filtration through bacterial filter could transmit the agent.
  • Twort suggested that the agent might be a virus. D’Herelle rediscovered this phenomenon in 1917 and coined the word bacteriophage meaning “bacteria eater”.
Last modified: Tuesday, 21 September 2010, 5:06 AM