Bacteria have evolved a wide range of mechanisms to harm and kill their competitors,
including chemical, mechanical and biological weapons. Here we review the incredible …

Viruses that infect microbial hosts have traditionally been studied in laboratory settings with
a focus on either obligate lysis or persistent lysogeny. In the environment, these infection …

Nearly half of the sequenced bacteria are lysogens and many of their prophages encode
adaptive traits. Yet, the variables driving prophage distribution remain undetermined. We …

Highlights•Phages drive horizontal gene transfer between prokaryotes.•Lysogenic
conversion provides novel adaptive traits, at the cost of eventual lysis.•Prophages account …

Integrated phages (prophages) are major contributors to the diversity of bacterial gene
repertoires. Domestication of their components is thought to have endowed bacteria with …

Bacteria have a range of distinct immune strategies that provide protection against
bacteriophage (phage) infections. While much has been learned about the mechanism of …

Infection by a temperate phage can lead to death of the bacterial cell, but sometimes these
phages integrate into the bacterial chromosome, offering the potential for a more long …

Viruses that infect bacteria (phages) can influence bacterial community dynamics, bacterial
genome evolution and ecosystem biogeochemistry. These influences differ depending on …

Bacteriophages and genetic elements, such as prophage-like elements, pathogenicity
islands, and phage morons, make up a considerable amount of bacterial genomes. Their …

Prophages are quiescent viruses located in the chromosomes of bacteria. In the human
pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, prophages are omnipresent and are believed to be …