5

Performance Task

Bacteriophages

  • Explore
  • Did You Know?

Going Viral

Going Viral

A scientist views a bacteriophage under a microscope and draws a net of the head as shown. All line segments that appear parallel are parallel. Identify any triangles that appear to be congruent in the diagram. If possible, prove that they are congruent. If not possible, explain what additional information is needed.


sketched net of the head of a bacteriophage virus

Did You Know?

  • Bacteriophages exist everywhere in nature. Because they do not infect human cells, they have been used to treat bacterial diseases in people.
  • Due to recent antibiotic overuse, some strains of bacteria are becoming antibiotic resistant. Bacteriophages are a potential treatment option for these infections.
  • Bacteriophages are capable of reproducing by either lysogenic or lytic life cycles. The lysogenic cycle does not kill the host.
  • Bacteriophages turn some harmless bacteria into agents of human disease. For example, E. coli and cholora became harmful when genes that produce toxic substances are transferred to them by bacteriophages.

Find Out More – Search Topics

  • Bacteriophage facts
  • Lytic vs. lysogenic
  • What are microbes?