A virus long dismissed as a scientific oddity has been found hiding in plain sight, and it may help fight dangerous bacteria, according to a study.
The study focussed on bacteriophages (phages) — viruses that infect bacteria and come in many forms. In particular, researchers investigated telomere phages — a type of phage that until now was considered a ‘curiosity’.
These viruses aren’t just passive passengers as they may actually help good bacteria wipe out neighbouring bad ones, Xinhua news agency reported.
Previous studies decoded only their unique DNA replication mechanism. The new study, published in Science Advances, discovered that bacteria carrying telomere phages produce toxins that kill off rival bacteria.
Researchers from Monash University, Australia discovered that telomere phage is surprisingly common in Klebsiella. Klebsiella is a type of bacteria that can cause pneumonia and serious drug-resistant infections.
“For more than 20 years of intensive bacterial genomics, telomere phages had remained hidden in plain sight. We have missed an entire aspect of biology,” said Trevor Lithgow, head of Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Bacterial Cell Biology Lab.