Isolation of Marine Bacteriophages from Sea Water

Abstract

The author carried out the isolation of marine bacteriophages from sea water and determined the morphological character of five of them. The host bacteria isolated belong to Pseudomonas (2 strains), Vibrio (2), and Flavobacterium (1). The isolated phages are highly specific to the original host and are virulent. The structure of the phage particles varies widely. Remarkable variety was observed especially in the tail structure. They are divided into three morphological groups; phage with a tail possessing a contractile sheath, phages with a long and non-contracting tail, and phages with a short tail. It is difficult to find a morphological property of marine bacteriophages in this experiment. It is certain that they vary widely in their morphology. © 1971, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.