Dormant Bacteria's Fatal Attraction to RNA Bacteriophages
Qiu Zhong, Qianyu Hu, Leilei Wei, Ying Yang, Hebin Liao, Zhuojun Zhong, J. B. Liu, Fan Xie, Xinyu Jiang, Jianglin Liao, Zongyue Chen, Xuesong He, Liting Wang, Yingying Pu, Jintao Liu, SUN Le
The paper shows RNA phages are eliminated in dormant bacteria via ROS-mediated damage, but survival depends on genomic redundancy through co-infection.
bioRxiv · Apr 13, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology