Hot on the heels of "stowaways" - Methods for investigating the spread of bacterial virulence factors by bacteriophages

Bacteriophages are regarded as a promising alternative or supplement to antibiotics in medicine, agriculture and livestock farming. However, there are still unanswered questions regarding their interaction with host bacteria that prevent their widespread use as a form of therapy: some bacteriophages are able to incorporate their DNA into the bacterial chromosome as so-called prophages and multiply with the bacterial host without destroying the bacterium (lysogenic cycle of a „temperate“ phage). However, certain factors can also cause such bacteriophages to dissolve their host and infect other bacteria (lytic cycle). In doing so, they not only transfer their own genome, but often also genes that mediate virulence and resistance.

The aim of Dr Sindy Burgold-Voigt's research is to understand the mobilisation and transmission mechanisms of temperate bacteriophages, as well as the interaction of virulent and temperate bacteriophages with regard to phage-host interactions for possible applications in diagnostics and therapy.

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