We used a sample of dirt because it’s easy to obtain and rich in bacteria and phages which makes it a great target for extracting phages. Mycobacterium smegmatis was used as the host bacteria mainly because it’s a common bacteria which makes it likey that a dirt sample would have compatible phages and its non pathogenic.
There are two types of bacteriophages lifecycles; temperate and lytic. Temperate phages integrate with the genome of a bacteria and can stay in the bacteria for long periods of time. When you see a cloudy plaque, this is because some of the bacteria is still present with a phage integrated in the genome so you know there are temperate phages. In contrast, lytic phages will kill the bacteria as soon as possible which would leave a clear plaque instead since no bacteria are left alive.
A1 phages would be most likely be able to infect bacteria that is phylogenically similar to mycobacterium smegmatis such as mycobacterium goodii. However, since bacterial compatibility is not given by the page database, I can’t be certain.
My best guess as to which bacteria dogtreat would be compatible with would be bacteria that are phylogenically similar to the host bacteria: mycobacterium smegmatis such as mycobacterium goodii. Though specific testing would have to take place to be sure.
What lead you to choose a sample of dirt and also what host bacteria did you use and why?
We used a sample of dirt because it’s easy to obtain and rich in bacteria and phages which makes it a great target for extracting phages. Mycobacterium smegmatis was used as the host bacteria mainly because it’s a common bacteria which makes it likey that a dirt sample would have compatible phages and its non pathogenic.
What is a Temperate Bacteriophage, and how does a cloudy morphology suggest that it falls into this category?
There are two types of bacteriophages lifecycles; temperate and lytic. Temperate phages integrate with the genome of a bacteria and can stay in the bacteria for long periods of time. When you see a cloudy plaque, this is because some of the bacteria is still present with a phage integrated in the genome so you know there are temperate phages. In contrast, lytic phages will kill the bacteria as soon as possible which would leave a clear plaque instead since no bacteria are left alive.
Is there a likely target bacteria that your phage may infect based on your hypothesis of it being an A1 phage?
A1 phages would be most likely be able to infect bacteria that is phylogenically similar to mycobacterium smegmatis such as mycobacterium goodii. However, since bacterial compatibility is not given by the page database, I can’t be certain.
do you have any guesses as to which kind of bacteria dogtreat would be compatible with other than tuberculosis bacteria?
My best guess as to which bacteria dogtreat would be compatible with would be bacteria that are phylogenically similar to the host bacteria: mycobacterium smegmatis such as mycobacterium goodii. Though specific testing would have to take place to be sure.
Great job Ryan!! Are the other phages in the A1 cluster also siphoviridae, or are there lots of different morphologies?
Thank you!! Based on the phage database, all A1 phages are siphovirdae.