Bacteriophages from the forestomachs of Australian marsupials

Bacteriophages were observed in forestomach contents from three species of Australian macropodoid marsupials possessing a foregut fermentative digestion: the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), the eastern wallaroo (Macropus robustus robustus), and the rufous bettong (Aepyprymnus rufescens). Forty-six morphologically distinct phage types, representing the families Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, and Podoviridae, were identified. The range of forms varied between host species. The greatest diversity of phage types was found in forestomach contents of the wallaroo, and few phage types were recorded from the rufous bettongs. It is concluded that macropodoid marsupials, in common with their eutherian counterparts, possess diverse populations of bacteriophages in their fermentative forestomachs.