Microbiology

Choose the Correct Answer

Correct Answer : Option b

Explanation
Bacteriophages are being explored as a potential solution for bacterial infections, especially as antibiotic resistance becomes more prevalent. By targeting and eliminating specific bacteria, bacteriophages offer a promising alternative or complement to traditional antibiotics.

Bacteriophages are not harmful to human cells because they do not recognize human cells as their bacterial prey. Instead, they specifically target and infect bacterial cells, leaving human cells unharmed. This specificity is one of the advantages of bacteriophage therapy, as it minimises collateral damage to human tissues.
Hence option (b) is not correct and it is the right answer.

Bacteriophages consist of a core of genetic material, which can be either DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protein capsid. This structure allows bacteriophages to inject their genetic material into bacterial cells and hijack the bacterial machinery to replicate themselves.

Bacteriophages can indeed infect thousands of varieties of bacteria, each of which may only be susceptible to certain types of phages. This specificity arises from the interaction between the surface receptors on bacterial cells and the tail fibers or other components of the bacteriophage, which determine the host range of the phage.