Bacteriophage Typing

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria. Susceptibility to infection by particular phages varies between strains within a species, and this property can be exploited to construct highly discriminatory schemes for the type identification of strains in epidemiological studies. Part of the success of the technique is due to the simple methodology involved. Production and handling of bacteriophages requires nothing more than a competent aseptic technique and a basic understanding of their characteristics and life cycle.