You are correct, BetterNameUnfound. Viruses DO exist (and why would they not?) I take a probiotic daily that includes phages, which are viruses that parasitize certain kinds of bacteria. Not all phages are beneficial to humans, but some target bad gut bacteria and were used frequently as antibiotic therapy before the invention of modern antibiotic drugs, and are still used today (example). More refs here.
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect and replicate only in bacterial cells. They are ubiquitous in the environment and recognized as the earth's most abundant biological agent. They are extremely diverse in size, morphology, and genomic organization.[1][2][3] However, all consist of a nucleic acid genome encased in a shell of phage-encoded capsid proteins, which protect the genetic material and mediate its delivery into the next host cell. Electron microscopy has allowed the detailed visualization of hundreds of phage types, some of which appear to have "heads," "legs," and "tails." Despite this appearance, phages are non-motile and depend upon Brownian motion to reach their targets.
Like all viruses, bacteriophages are very species-specific about their hosts and usually only infect a single bacterial species or even specific strains within a species. Once a bacteriophage attaches to a susceptible host, it pursues 1 of 2 replication strategies: lytic or lysogenic.
You are correct, BetterNameUnfound. Viruses DO exist (and why would they not?) I take a probiotic daily that includes phages, which are viruses that parasitize certain kinds of bacteria. Not all phages are beneficial to humans, but some target bad gut bacteria and were used frequently as antibiotic therapy before the invention of modern antibiotic drugs, and are still used today (example). More refs here.
From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493185/ --
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