What is male specific Coliphage?
Male-specific coliphages are either DNA or RNA viruses that infect through fertility (F) pili of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria. The host specified in the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Methods 1601 and 1602 for somatic coliphages is nalidixic acid-resistant E. coli CN-13.
What are somatic coliphages?
Somatic coliphages are the phages that replicate in E. coli after infecting it through the cell wall (Kott et al. 1974; IAWPRC 1991). They may also infect some bacterial species closely related to E. coli, such as Klebsiella spp.
How do you find a Coliphage?
Detection of somatic coliphages. The ISO-10705-2 standard method (International Standardization Organization, 2000) involves the use of the double agar layer (DAL) plaque assay to quantify PFU as well as the presence/absence test, which can also be adapted to an MPN format.
Why are coliphages used as pollution indicators?
Coliphages have the properties required for an indicator of fecal and/or viral pollution: they are present in high numbers in sources of fecal pollution; they are more resistant to natural and anthropogenic stressors than bacterial indicators and as resistant as viruses; they are present in water environments whenever …
What is the meaning of coliform?
Coliforms are bacteria that are always present in the digestive tracts of animals, including humans, and are found in their wastes. They are also found in plant and soil material.
What is the lytic and lysogenic cycle?
The lytic cycle involves the reproduction of viruses using a host cell to manufacture more viruses; the viruses then burst out of the cell. The lysogenic cycle involves the incorporation of the viral genome into the host cell genome, infecting it from within.
Are coliphages non lytic?
Introduction. Coliphage N4 is a lytic phage specific for Escherichia coli K12 with a linear double-stranded genome 72 kb in length. The phage, originally isolated from the sewers of Genoa by G. C.
What are some sources of coliphages in the environment?
Although they are abundant in domestic wastewater, raw sewage sludge, and polluted waters (Havelaar et al., 1990; Debartolomeis and Cabelli, 1991; Leclerc et al., 2000; Mandilara et al., 2006), coliphages are present at lower densities in fresh feces than in wastewater (Dhillon et al., 1976; Osawa et al., 1981; Calci …
What is Coliphage test?
Coliphage testing is a viral indication assessment of water that provides additional and complementary information to bacterial indicator testing and gives added assurances that water processes are functional.
What does a positive coliform test indicate?
Although total coliforms can come from sources other than fecal matter, a positive total coliform sample should be considered an indication of pollution in your well. Positive fecal coliform results, especially positive E. Coli results, should be considered indication of fecal pollution in your well.
What causes coliform bacteria infection?
You can be exposed to disease-causing strains of E. coli by eating or drinking something contaminated with the bacterium. This often occurs because of unsafe food handling. Many infections result from eating meat that has come in contact with bacteria and waste from animal intestines during processing.
What does the lysogenic cycle do?
Lysogenic cycle. The lysogenic cycle allows a phage to reproduce without killing its host. Some phages can only use the lytic cycle, but the phage we are following, lambda ( λ), can switch between the two cycles.
What are F-specific coliphages?
F-specific coliphages, also named sexual coliphages, are those infecting E. coli through the sexual pili and comprise phages of the families Inoviridae and Leviviridae. E. coli (HS) and Salmonella (WG49) strains have been designed to detect mostly F-specific bacteriophages.
What is the phage enumeration for somatic coliphages?
Table 1. Phage enumeration (PFU/ml) using laboratory reference phages for somatic coliphages (φX174) and F-specific coliphages (MS2, FI, GA, Qβ). All stocks were enumerated in triplicate. H: high, M: moderate and L: low phage concentration.
Can the bluephage approach for F-specific coliphages be adapted to quantitative analysis?
The Bluephage approach for F-specific coliphages can be adapted to quantitative analysis. Changes in incubation time and conditions improves the detection of F-specific coliphages. F-specific coliphages have been proposed as viral indicators of fecal pollution.
Are coliphages a fecal or viral indicator of infection?
Two groups of bacteriophages infecting E. coli, somatic and F-specific coliphages, have been investigated in academia for many years as both fecal and viral indicators.