Isolation and characterization of Thermus bacteriophages

One-hundred-fifteen bacteriophage strains were isolated from alkaline hot springs in Iceland, New Zealand, Russia (Kamchatka), and the U.S.A. The phages belonged to the Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, Tectiviridae, and Inoviridae families. Over 50% of isolates were isometric or filamentous. One type of si...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of virology 2006-04, Vol.151 (4), p.663-679
Main Authors: YU, M. X, SLATER, M. R, ACKERMANN, H.-W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkalies
Bacteria
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Deinococcus
DNA, Viral - genetics
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genome, Viral
Genomes
Gram-positive bacteria
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Inoviridae
Inoviridae - classification
Inoviridae - isolation & purification
Inoviridae - physiology
Inoviridae - ultrastructure
Microbiology
Miscellaneous
Morphology
Myoviridae
Myoviridae - classification
Myoviridae - isolation & purification
Myoviridae - physiology
Myoviridae - ultrastructure
National parks
New Zealand
Restriction Mapping
Siberia
Siphoviridae
Species Specificity
Tectiviridae
Thermus
Thermus - virology
United States
Virology
Water Microbiology
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Summary:One-hundred-fifteen bacteriophage strains were isolated from alkaline hot springs in Iceland, New Zealand, Russia (Kamchatka), and the U.S.A. The phages belonged to the Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, Tectiviridae, and Inoviridae families. Over 50% of isolates were isometric or filamentous. One type of siphovirus had giant tails of over 800 nm in length. Phages were further characterized by host range, genome size, DNA restriction endonuclease digestion patterns, and temperature and pH sensitivity. Myoviruses and tectiviruses had a worldwide distribution. Most phages were narrowly host-specific and all were highly resistant against heating and alkaline and acidic pH. This is the first time that tectiviruses and filamentous phages are reported for bacteria of the Thermus-Deinococcus phylum. The presence of tectiviruses, inoviruses, and myoviruses is attributed to acquisition from ancestral gamma-proteobacteria by horizontal gene transfer.
ISSN:0304-8608
1432-8798
DOI:10.1007/s00705-005-0667-x