Biological and Morphological Characterization ofXanthomonas campestrisBacteriophages

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Abstract
Seven virulent bacteriophages of the plant pathogen X. campestris isolated from infested soils and seeds in Hawaii [USA] were characterized and compared with 2 phages each from North Carolina [USA] and Japan. The phages have hexagonal heads and fall into 3 morphological classes based on tail structure. Host specificity and morphology of phages OH2 and OK2 from Japan are similar to phages HP1, HP3, HT7 and HT3h from Hawaii. This group of patients has contractile tail sheaths surrounding rigid cores with narrow neck regions. Uncontracted tails average 18 .times. 115 nm and heads measure 55-65 nm in diameter. Hawaiian phages A342 and HXX are morphologically similar to North Carolina phages P1-3a and P6 in having noncontractile flexuous tails that average 14 .times. 120 nm and heads that measure .apprx. 55 nm in diameter. Wisconsin [USA] phage RR68 has a short wedge-shaped tail 15 nm long. The phages differ in susceptibility to heat and in relative efficiency of plating at different incubation temperatures; they were further characterized by the rates of adsorption onto homologous host bacteria and other parameters measured during the 1-step growth experiment.

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