From Culture to Sequencing: Deciphering the Temperate Nature of Human Gut Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Temperate phages are able to remain dormant within the bacterial host and may provide beneficial functions to the host. My thesis aims to identify active temperate phages within a collection of diverse gut bacteria in order to further understand how phages shape our gut microbiota. I found that many bacteria carry more than one temperate phages, most of which are novel and prevalent in the gut. Further, many of these harboured interesting genetic features for further investigation.