The step in a phage life cycle that immediately precedes phage attachment to a bacterium (reversible adsorption) but which does not necessarily lead to such adsorption.
Depending on author, encounter may or may not denote phage-bacterium physical contact, i.e., collision.
Encounter additionally can be used to describe phage interaction with objects that are other than individual bacteria such as with surfaces, EPS, and biofilms.
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