bacteriophage /baktir″ē·əfāj′/ [Gk, bakterion + phagein, to eat] , any virus that infects host bacteria, including the blue-green algae. Bacteriophages resemble other viruses in that each is composed of either ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). They vary in structure from simple fibrous bodies to complex forms with contractile “tails.” Bacteriophages associated with temperate bacteria may be genetically intimate with the host and are named for the bacterial strain for which they are specific, such as coliphage and corynebacteriophage. −bacteriophagic, adj., −bacteriophagy, n.
