Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that infect bacteria and kill them through a lysis process. Phages can kill bacteria on or in a multicellular host organism, such as the polyp of the moon jellyfish. Phages specialize in specific bacteria and can significantly alter the bacterial composition of a polyp’s microbiome.
How polyps of the moon jellyfish repel viral attacks on their microbiome
