Scientists know that bacteria use CRISPR-Cas systems to capture short DNA “memories” (called spacers) from viruses (such a bacteriophages) in order to defend themselves from attack by those viruses. Classical models assume that those bacteria must somehow survive a lethal phage attack at least long enough to acquire and use these spacers. Professor Keith and his team at Johns Hopkins published the results of their work with Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria, studying how these bacteria successfully enduring a lytic viral infection long enough to mount this adaptive response? Their discovery was that the bacteria took genetic material from the phages during the dormant (resting) period of the phage, not during the later lytic or destructive phase. The bacteria were more successful at capturing genetic material from viruses with a dormant phase than those without. The DNA spacers were then passed on to the bacteria’s daughter cells, making them more resistant to the bacteriophage. This work is important because it can help us select antibacterial phage to kill bacterial pathogens that are less likely to generate resistant bacterial strains in the future. To read the researchers’ full report, click here https://shorturl.at/0Q39i