A bit of infectious diseases whimsical warfare for your Friday...
I recently stumbled across this playful short video on the Improbable Research blog, showing a bacterium being infected by a bacteriophage. Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, but not the cells of humans or other animals. Although they have seen little use in the United States in terms of medical and biotechnology applications, they have been more widely used in other countries. With the continued concern over antibiotic-resistant bacteria and a lack of new drugs to treat them with, bacteriophages may be more extensively researched for clinical uses in the future.
And really, who wouldn't want to, when they look this cute?
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