A bacteriophage with an affinity for one or another strain of Escherichia coli. In general, coliphages, like other bacteriophages, are known by symbols that have significance only as a means of laboratory identification; additional notations, however, specifically identify variant characteristics, e.g., λdgal denotes the deficient prophage (c.) λ, which carries the bacterial gene gal (galactose). [(Escherichia) coli + bacteriophage]
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co·li·phage 'kō-lə-.fāj, -.fäzh n a bacteriophage active against colon bacilli
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col·i·phage (kolґĭ-fāj) [coli- + phage] any bacteriophage that infects Escherichia coli.Medical dictionary. 2011.