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Updated: May 26, 2026

Phage-Mediated Genetic Manipulation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi
Published on: September 28, 2022
Complete genome sequence of the podoviral bacteriophage ΦCP24R, which is virulent for Clostridium perfringens
Cesar A Morales1, Brian B Oakley, Johnna K Garrish
1Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, 950 College Station Road, Athens, GA, 30605, USA. Cesar.Morales@ars.usda.gov
Abstract:
Bacteriophage ΦCP24R was isolated from raw sewage from a waste treatment plant, and lytic activity was observed against a type A Clostridium perfringens isolate. Electron microscopy revealed a small virion (44-nm-diameter icosahedral capsid) with a short, non-contractile tail, indicative of a member of the family Podoviridae. The phage had a linear, double-stranded DNA genome of 18,919 base pairs (bp) with 41 bp inverted terminal repeats and a type B DNA polymerase, which are characteristics of members of the subfamily Picovirinae. Out of 22 predicted genes in the genome, ten had significant sequence similarity to proteins of known function. Three distinct genes with lytic domains were identified, including a zinc carboxypeptidase domain that has not been previously reported in viruses. The ΦCP24R genome described herein is only the second Clostridium perfringens podovirus genome reported to date.
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