Significance of Lysogeny and Phage Applications

• Phage conversion -> a change in the phenotype of a bacterial cell as a consequence of lysogeny
• What are examples of phage conversion?

  antibiotic resistance genes, modification of Salmonella O antigen, enhanced toxins production
• What are examples of enhanced toxin production?

  Staphylococcus aureus ( scalded skin syndrome), streptococcus pyogenes
• Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the pathogenic bacteria that causes diphtheria
• transduction -> transfer of host genes from one cell to another by a virus
• generalized transduction -> host bacterial genes accidentally packaged into a lytic phage and transferred to a new host bacterial cell
• specialized transduction -> a specific bacterial gene adjacent to the site where a lysogenic phage integrated into host genome is accidentally packaged and transferred to a new host bacteria cell
• phages can move genetic material around using generalized and specialized transduction
• Phage therapy (phago therapy) -> is the therapeutic use of bacteriophages to treat pathogenic bacterial infections
• phages can be used to fight other pathogens
• why phage therapy?

  because of the increase in antibiotic resistance