Temperate phage remixes flagellin to boost bacterial motility and colonization
A temperate phage (FRφ) remodels the host’s flagellin from the native FliCH to a phage-encoded FliCP, enhancing motility, aiding immune evasion, and boosting host colonization; the phage enters via the FhuA outer membrane receptor and can remodel flagella even without the host’s preexisting flagella.