Identification of phage lysis from environmental samples based on 96-well plate screening v1

This protocol is an optical density-based screening of bacterial isolates for bacteriophage-induced lysis from environmental samples (seawater, soil suspensions in buffer, etc.). It compares the optical density at 600 nm (OD600; proxy for bacterial growth) of a bacterial culture inoculated with a concentrated viral community and controls. Potential viral lysis is indicated by a decrease in bacterial growth upon the addition of an environmental sample containing viral particles, which is confirmed through plaque and spot assays. A single phage colony consistently infecting its host is purified and isolated via multiple rounds of plaque isolation using spot assays and the double-layer agar method.