Physiology and ecology of bacteriophages of the marine bacterium Beneckea natriegens: salinity

Abstract

The effects of variation in ionic levels on the stability and replication of 2 bacteriophages (nt 1 and nt 6) host specific for the marine bacterium Beneckea natriegens were examined. Monovalent cations influenced the adsorption of the nt 1 but not the nt 6 phage; however, one step growth studies showed that NaCl was required for replication of both phages. The NaCl optimum for nt 1 production was 0.25 M NaCl, the same as the growth optimum for B. natriegens. However, the optimum for nt 6 production was 0.16 M NaCl. These NaCl optima for host and phage are at estuarine rather than oceanic levels. The nt 1 phage was better suited to replicate at NaCl levels typical of higher salinity areas (18 to 35 ‰) and the nt 6 phage was better suited to replicate at lower salinities (5 to 18‰). The nt phage were more resistant to low NaCl levels than their host bacterium and appeared limited to marine waters by the lower survival salinity of B. natriegens coupled with phage inactivation processes occurring in natural estuarine waters.