Isolation and characterization of transducing bacteriophage BP1 for Bacterium anitratum (Achromobacter sp.)

A small transducing phage has been isolated against a strain of Bacterium anitratum. The particle has a head dimension of 450 A and a tail approximately 200 A long. The latent period is 16 min and the average burst size is 98. The intact particle has an absorption maximum and minimum at 260 and 237 mmu, respectively. The sedimentation coefficient (S(20)) is 460. The phage contains double-stranded DNA with an S degrees (20,w) of 32.8. Molecular weight estimates of the deoxyribonucleic acid ranged from 2.33 x 10(7) to 2.66 x 10(7) based on sedimentation velocity studies. The percentage guanine plus cytosine compositions of the deoxyribonucleic acid, determined by melting temperature and cesium chloride equilibrium centrifugation, were 40.7 and 42.0, respectively.