Click here to read and/or cite the paper describing PhagesDB in the journal Bioinformatics.

The Actinobacteriophage Database at PhagesDB.org is a website that collects and shares data, pictures, protocols, and analysis tools associated with the discovery, sequencing, and characterization of mycobacteriophages—viruses that infect the Mycobacteria and also other bacterial hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria. It was developed at—and is maintained from—the Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute, a joint venture of Dr. Graham Hatfull and the late Dr. Roger Hendrix, both of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.

In 2003, there were 13 sequenced mycobacteriophage genomes. That number increased to 30 in 2006 and reached 60 by 2009. In early 2010—with the 100th mycobacteriophage genome sequence on the horizon—it became clear to the members of the Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute that a central location was necessary to collect and access the data associated with these phages. A preliminary version of PhagesDB was created for internal use in March and April 2010, and since it proved highly useful internally, we decided to make it externally availble as well.

Several people have been critical in the development and maintenance of PhagesDB.org and the Actinobacteriophage Database. Check them out here.

Phagesdb.org uses the open-source web framework Django to manage its database interactions and return content to users. Since Django is written in Python, much of the site is written in Python. The underlying databases were created using the open-source database program MySQL.