Phage-Mediated Horizontal Gene Transfer in the Gut Microbiome

Résumé

Phage-Mediated Horizontal Gene Transfer in the Gut Microbiome is an academic work devoted to the role of bacteriophages in shaping bacterial evolution within the human intestinal microbiota. The book first presents the gut microbiome as a dense, dynamic ecosystem characterized by microbial diversity, host–microbe interactions, selective pressures and rapid adaptation. It then distinguishes vertical from horizontal gene transfer and explains the major bacterial mechanisms involved, including transformation, conjugation and phage-mediated transduction. The central chapters focus on bacteriophages as vectors of genetic exchange, detailing specialized transduction, generalized transduction and lateral transduction, with attention to prophages, lysogeny, chromosomal packaging, transferred DNA fragments and experimental methods used to study these processes. The work also examines phage-inducible chromosomal islands, molecular piracy and gene-transfer agents, showing how these elements contribute to genomic plasticity, bacterial fitness, virulence, antimicrobial resistance and community-level adaptation. Written in a scientific and reference-based style, the book is intended for students, researchers and professionals in microbiology, microbial ecology, genomics, infectious diseases and gut microbiome studies.