Leveraging Bacteriophages in Vaccine Development

Bacteriophages, or Phages for short, are viruses that specifically infect bacterial cells. Their name is derived from Greek for “bacteria eater” and it’s an apt description: To reproduce, they must coopt the cellular machinery of a bacterium, sometimes destroying it in the process
[1]
. Phages thrive anywhere bacteria exist—on land, in water, and inside plants and animals. In fact, they are considered the most successful organisms on earth due to their abundance and genetic diversity. Scientists estimate there are a trillion phages for every grain of sand on earth. That’s 10
³¹
phages
[2]
.