High abundance of viruses found in aquatic environments |
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| Authors: | O Bergh K Y B?rsheim G Bratbak M Heldal |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Microbiology and Plant Physiology, University of Bergen, Norway. |
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| Abstract: | The concentration of bacteriophages in natural unpolluted waters is in general believed to be low, and they have therefore been considered ecologically unimportant. Using a new method for quantitative enumeration, we have found up to 2.5 x 10(8) virus particles per millilitre in natural waters. These concentrations indicate that virus infection may be an important factor in the ecological control of planktonic micro-organisms, and that viruses might mediate genetic exchange among bacteria in natural aquatic environments. |
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