Phages Communicate Across Species to Control Infection Decisions

Scientists reveal that viruses infecting bacteria can “listen” to signals from unrelated phages, altering life-or-death infection decisions and reshaping microbial ecosystems in ways previously thought impossible. https://www.azolifesciences.com/news/20260422/Phages-Communicate-Across-Species-to-Control-Infection-Decisions.aspx?utm_source=azonetwork_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=microbiology_newsletter_21_may_2026 A recent study published in Cell challenges a long-standing view of viral communication, showing that bacteriophages can “talk” across related bacterial species within the Bacillus genus. Researchers found that arbitrium signaling peptides, previously thought to act only within closely related phages, can also influence unrelated phages by binding to their receptors, shifting viral decisions toward lysogeny.