Recovery frequency of phages lambda and M13 from human and animal faeces

Derivatives of bacteriophages lambda and M13 are in common use as vectors in recombinant DNA RESEARCH. These laboratory-derived phages have been designed to allow cloning of DNA fragments, but to be unable to survive outside a defined laboratory and/or host-cell environment. To assess the availability of wild-type lambda or M13 phages in the environment which might potentially rescue debilitated derivative phages, we have now examined the frequency of these and other bacteriophages in human and animal faeces. We detected coliphage in over two-thirds of the faecal samples. Of these, 1.2% of the samples contained lambda-like phage and 3.5% had phage indistinguishable from M13.