Nine Rhizobium phage genomes recovered from wastewater in Tempe, AZ, October 2019-March 2020

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Virology
• Genomics

Background:

• Wastewater surveillance is a growing field for monitoring microbial populations.
• Rhizobium microviruses are bacteriophages that infect Rhizobium bacteria, important soil microbes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize novel Rhizobium microvirus genomes from wastewater.
• To determine the phylogenetic relationship of these novel viruses to previously identified strains.

Main Methods:

• Metagenomic sequencing of wastewater samples.
• Bioinformatic analysis for viral genome assembly and identification.
• Phylogenetic analysis of the major capsid protein (MCP) gene.

Main Results:

• Nine complete Rhizobium microvirus genomes were identified.
• The identified viruses were detected in wastewater from Tempe, AZ, USA.
• Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the MCPs of these viruses form a distinct cluster, separate from those found in Mexico and Argentina.

Conclusions:

• Wastewater harbors diverse and previously uncharacterized Rhizobium microviruses.
• The genetic distinctiveness of these viruses suggests potential geographical or ecological divergence.
• Further research is needed to understand the ecological role and distribution of these novel phages.