Activity 1 - Student Assessment Tools
TESTING PHIX174 HOST RANGE


  1. What is a serial dilution?
  2. Which host was most compatible with Phi X 174? Which was the second-most compatible? Were there any that were not compatible at all?
  3. Bacteriophage Phi X 174 is also known as coliphage Phi X 174. Based on your results, why?
  4. Coliphages are sometimes used to assess water quality. Research E. coli and explain how this would make sense. How would you perform the test?
  5. What does a Phi X 174 particle look like? Try the websites recommended in the sources section above to find a picture of Phi X 174.
  6. What happens during a lytic bacteriophage infection? Visit your library or look in your textbook to find out. Write out each step, then refer to your notes and your Phi X 174 picture to create a flipbook animation of a typical bacteriophage infection on 3x5 inch paper.
  7. Xenotransplantation refers to the transplantation of organs from other animals into humans. In general, the more similar the donor and recipient species, the better the organ will function after transplantation. Using you knowledge of host ranges, explain why it might be a better idea to use more dissimilar organ donor species instead.