Attempts to freeze some bacteriophages to ultralow temperatures.
A variety of bacteriophages specific for different hosts, including Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Vibrio comma, were frozen at a controlled rate to liquid nitrogen temperatures, and then quick-thawed. Glycerol (10%) was used as a protective additive. Quantitative determinations showed from 10% to virtually 100% recovery in the various cases. Host specificity, plaque morphology, and, in one case, rate of inactivation of phage by homologous antiserum remained unchanged.
D001435:Bacteriophages; D004926:Escherichia coli; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D012034:Refrigeration; D012706:Serratia marcescens; D012762:Shigella dysenteriae; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D013696:Temperature
BACTERIOPHAGE; REFRIGERATION