On the Stability of Marine Bacteriophages

The author investigated the stability of some marine bacteriophages by exposing them to various conditions, changing pH and salinity of suspended media, heating at 50°C for 30min, and adding chloroform. The five marine bacteriophages examined showed different degrees of inactivation by these treatments. It is not concluded that sensitivity of the phages to heat, pH-change and chloroform constitute a fundamental marine property. However the requirement for inorganic salts, such as NaC1 and Mg-or Ca-salt, for retention of viability is considered to be a property of marine bacteriophages. In many cases, when stocks are prepared in sea water broth, the lysates of marine bacteriophages will normally survive for several months at 5°C.