A virus that infects coliform bacteria, especially E. coli; used in research and as a model organism.
From 'coli' (coliform bacteria) + 'phage' (from Greek 'phagein' meaning 'to eat'), literally meaning 'bacteria eater.'
Coliphages were some of the first viruses studied in depth and helped scientists understand how viruses work—they're so useful that molecular biologists still use them as standard research tools!
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