Tail-Swapping “Pirate” Phages Expose New Route for AMR

When bacteria swap DNA, the consequences can ripple across ecosystems and hospitals alike, fueling the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Now, researchers at Imperial College London have revealed an unexpected accomplice: “pirate” phages that hijack the tails of other viruses to invade new bacterial hosts. Their dual studies, published this week in Cell, not only chart a new path for horizontal gene transfer (HGT)—which is crucial for bacterial evolution, antibiotic resistance spread, and pathogen emergence—but…