Systematic, high-throughput characterization of bacteriophage gene essentiality on diverse hosts.

Summary: Scientists have created a powerful new tool called PhageMaP to study phages, which are special viruses that hunt and kill bacteria. Just like a car has many parts, a phage has many genes. PhageMaP allows researchers to turn off these genes one by one to figure out exactly which parts the phage needs to survive and attack bacteria. By testing this tool, scientists discovered how certain phage genes can block bacterial defenses. They even used this new information to build a "super" phage in the lab that is better at infecting bad bacteria. In the future, this tool will help doctors design custom phage treatments to cure stubborn bacterial infections!