735-Phage–Pathogen Coevolution by Clinical Surveillance
Researchers conducting clinical surveillance in Bangladesh have identified a new mobile genetic element in Vibrio cholerae, named PLE11, which drove a massive selective sweep during a 2022 cholera outbreak. This element provides the bacteria with potent protection against its primary predator, the ICP1 phage, by utilizing a unique defense protein called Rta. Unlike previously known defenses, Rta specifically disrupts the assembly of phage tails, rendering the viruses incapable of spreading even if they possess counter-defense mechanisms like CRISPR-Cas. To ensure its own survival and…
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