This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ogunseitan, O A Articles by Miller, R V Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ogunseitan, O A Articles by Miller, R V Agricola Articles by Ogunseitan, O A Articles by Miller, R V

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 June; 58(6): 2046-2052

Application of DNA probes to analysis of bacteriophage distribution patterns in the environment.

Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996.

ABSTRACT

Radiolabeled bacteriophage DNA probes have been used in this study to determine the distribution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infecting bacteriophages in natural samples of lake water, sediment, soil, and sewage. The sensitivity of detection of bacteriophage with the DNA probes was between 10(3) and 10(4) PFU and 10(6) to 10(7) CFU of lysogenized bacteria detectable with a homologous phage DNA probe. Analyses of environmental samples suggest that up to 40% of P. aeruginosa in natural ecosystems contain DNA sequences homologous to phage genomes. By using different bacteriophage DNA probes, the diversity of the bacteriophage population in sewage was estimated to be higher than that in other natural samples. The indication that transducing phages and prophages are widely distributed in the Pseudomonas populations investigated has considerable implications for the frequency of natural gene transfer by transduction and of lysogenic conversion of host bacteria in natural ecosystems.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Winget, D. M., Wommack, K. E. (2008). Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA PCR as a Tool for Assessment of Marine Viral Richness. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 2612-2618 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Muniesa, M., Blanch, A. R., Lucena, F., Jofre, J. (2005). Bacteriophages May Bias Outcome of Bacterial Enrichment Cultures. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 4269-4275 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ashelford, K. E., Day, M. J., Fry, J. C. (2003). Elevated Abundance of Bacteriophage Infecting Bacteria in Soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 285-289 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Westwater, C., Schofield, D. A., Schmidt, M. G., Norris, J. S., Dolan, J. W. (2002). Development of a P1 phagemid system for the delivery of DNA into Gram-negative bacteria. Microbiology 148: 943-950 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wommack, K. E., Colwell, R. R. (2000). Virioplankton: Viruses in Aquatic Ecosystems. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 64: 69-114 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ramirez, M., Severina, E., Tomasz, A. (1999). A High Incidence of Prophage Carriage among Natural Isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae. J. Bacteriol. 181: 3618-3625 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wommack, K. E., Ravel, J., Hill, R. T., Colwell, R. R. (1999). Hybridization Analysis of Chesapeake Bay Virioplankton. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 241-250 [Abstract] [Full Text]