bacteriophage

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bacteriophage (phage) (bak-teer-i-oh-fayj) n. a virus that attacks bacteria. The phage grows and replicates in the bacterial cell, which is eventually destroyed with the release of new phages. Each phage acts specifically against a particular species of bacterium. This is utilized in phage typing, a technique of identifying bacteria by the action of known phages on them.

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