Fighting viruses with interchangeable defense genes

Bacterial viruses, so-called phages, destroy bacteria. Bacteria are constantly exposed to viral attacks. A research team led by Martin Polz, a microbiologist at the University of Vienna, has now studied how bacteria defend themselves against viral predators. The study shows that bacteria have exchangeable genetic elements that are specifically designed for defense against viruses, allowing a bacterial population to switch its innate immunity surprisingly quickly. The question of how and how quickly bacteria develop resistance to viruses is of central importance for the development of phage-based therapies against bacterial infections. The study now appears in the journal Science.