An ecological study of bacteriophages of Vibrio natriegens

Effects of temperature and anaerobic conditions on the replication of two bacteriophages, nt-1 and nt-6, of the estuarine bacterium Vibrio natriegens were studied. Reduction in temperature resulted in longer latent periods and reduced burst sizes for both phages. Replication under anaerobic conditions resulted in longer latent periods; however, phage nt-6 had a reduced burst size, whereas phage nt-1 had an increased burst size, resulting in a rate of phage production nearly equal to that observed under aerobic conditions. Therefore the distribution of the phages in marsh areas could be influenced by temperature and anaerobiosis.