Both viruses and bacteria are menaces to the living world. What if one could be used to kill the other? The scientists of Pittsburgh University have recently discovered one such way. They discovered a virus that could listen to “bacterial conversations” and can even be programmed to kill the bacteria. According to the group of scientists, the virus could detect a compound that is released during bacterial communication. The researchers believe that the same virus can be re-engineered such that it will initiate a mechanism to kill the bacteria. Viruses can either stay within the host or kill the host. Scientists earlier thought that the virus remain in a “sleeping”, unaware of the communication signals being sent or received by the host, while they are inside the host. This is clearly not true. However, the researchers are working upon how to save the virus while it kills the host bacteria, as killing the host would result in the death of the virus as well.
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