The bacteriophages of ruminal prevotellas

Rumen bacteriophage-lyzed bacterial strains of the genus Prevotella were is olated and preliminarily characterized. The strain TCI-1 the species P. bry antii was the only prevotella strain successfully infected with filter ster ilized rumen fluid from a black-and-white Holstein cow. Two types of plaque s were observed, both rather small and turbid. Preliminary electron microsc opy observation showed that several morphologically different bacteriophage s were present in these plaques. The plaque eluates were further used for t he infection of other prevotella strains. The plaques produced by the bacte riophages were observed with two strains, i.e. P. bryantii B(I)4 and P. bre vis GA33. The bacteriophages from both strains were examined by transmissio n electron microscopy and several morphologically different bacteriophages were observed, among others also a large virion with an icosahedral head wi th the diameter of approximately 120 nm. The bacteriophage was identified i n plaques of bacterial cells of the strain GA33 and has an approximately 80 0 nm long helical tail, which places it among the largest ruminal bacteriop hages described to date. Other bacteriophages from the same indicator strai n as well as from P. bryantii B(I)4 strain were smaller and tail structures were not observed in all of them.