title: The role of temperate bacteriophages in bacterial infection.
abstract: Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. There are an estimated 10(31) phage on the planet, making them the most abundant form of life. We are rapidly approaching the centenary of their identification, and yet still have only a limited understanding of their role in the ecology and evolution of bacterial populations. Temperate prophage carriage is often associated with increased bacterial virulence. The rise in use of technologies, such as genome sequencing and transcriptomics, has highlighted more subtle ways in which prophages contribute to pathogenicity. This review discusses the current knowledge of the multifaceted effects that phage can exert on their hosts and how this may contribute to bacterial adaptation during infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, 8 West Derby Street, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK.
authors.forename: Emily V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, 8 West Derby Street, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Winstanley
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, 8 West Derby Street, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK.
authors.forename: Joanne L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fothergill
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Research Centre and Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK c.james@salford.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Chloe E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000821:virology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000235:genetics; D008242:Lysogeny / Q000235:genetics*; D039002:Prophages / Q000235:genetics; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005098:Exotoxins; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: adaptation; bacterial pathogens; infection; temperate bacteriophage