Bacterium infection and bacteriophages Bacterium infection and bacteriophages Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that attack bacteria.
Phages are among the most complex viruses.
Many phages have a tail attached to the head. The phage may use fibers extending from the tail to attach to a bacterium. A viral reproductive cycle can be lytic or temperate. When the virus infects a susceptible host cell, it forces the host to use its metabolic machinery to replicate viral particles. The virus attaches to receptors on the host cell wall.