Frederick William Twort
Quick Summary
Frederick William Twort was a British scientist who, around 1915, independently discovered bacteriophages. Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria. While Twort's initial findings were significant, his disinclination to pursue them meant that the discovery was later overshadowed by FĂ©lix d'HĂ©relle's work. Phages were described as an "eater of bacteria" and were identified by observing clear spots, or lesions, in bacterial cultures.123
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- bacteriophage
Bacteriophages were discovered independently by Frederick W. Twort in Great Britain (1915) and FĂ©lix dâHĂ©relle in France (1917). DâHĂ©relle coined the term bacteriophage, meaning âbacteria eater,â to describe the agentâs bacteriocidal ability. Bacteriophages also infect the single-celled prokaryotic organisms known as archaea.
Read MoreBacteriophages were discovered independently by Frederick W. Twort in Great Britain (1915) and FĂ©lix dâHĂ©relle in France (1917). DâHĂ©relle coined the term bacteriophage, meaning âbacteria eater,â to describe the agentâs bacteriocidal ability. Bacteriophages also infect the single-celled prokaryotic organisms known as archaea.
Read More - FĂ©lix dâ HĂ©relle
Twort in about 1915 became obscured by Twortâs disinclination to take credit for or to pursue his initial findings.)
Read MoreTwort in about 1915 became obscured by Twortâs disinclination to take credit for or to pursue his initial findings.)
Read More 
virusâŠ1915 by the British investigator Frederick W. Twort and in 1917 by the French Canadian scientist FĂ©lix H. dâHĂ©relle, lesions in cultures of bacteria were discovered and attributed to an agent called bacteriophage (âeater of bacteriaâ), now known to be viruses that specifically infect bacteria.
Read MoreâŠ1915 by the British investigator Frederick W. Twort and in 1917 by the French Canadian scientist FĂ©lix H. dâHĂ©relle, lesions in cultures of bacteria were discovered and attributed to an agent called bacteriophage (âeater of bacteriaâ), now known to be viruses that specifically infect bacteria.
Read More