Characterization of a lytic cyanophage that infects the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
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Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Environmental Sampling of Photosynthetic Microbes and Their Viruses: From Field to Lab
Published on: July 3, 2025
Sigitas Šulčius1, Eugenijus Šimoliūnas2, Juozas Staniulis3
1Marine Science and Technology Centre, Klaipeda University, Herkaus Manto str. 84, LT-92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania sigitas.sulcius@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Vb-AphaS-CL131 is a novel cyanosiphovirus that infects harmful Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. This cyanophage has an isometric head, 97 nm in diameter and a long, flexible non-contractile tail, 361 nm long. With a genome size of ~120 kb, it is the second largest cyanosiphovirus isolated to date. The latent period was estimated to be ~36 h and a single infected cell produces, on average, 218 infectious cyanophages. Cyanophage infection significantly suppresses host biomass production and alters population phenotype.
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