Phage-resistant bacterial mutants.
BIMs are bacterial mutants of phage-sensitive bacteria that, due to the mutation, are now phage resistant where sensitivity and resistance are both determined on a per phage-type basis. Thus, a BIM has achieved, through mutation, resistance to at least a single phage type but not necessarily more than one phage type.
BIMs are typically achieved through mutations affecting bacterial-surface molecules (adsorption resistance), thereby interfering especially with phage attachment, and are useful particularly to fermentation-based industries. Phage-susceptible bacteria can also be converted to BIMs, however, by either genetic engineering or naturally occurred horizontal gene transfer.
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