The characterization of a Bacillus capable of blue-green bactericidal activity

Abstract

A gram-negative, aerobic, spore-forming Bacillus isolated from a sewage oxidation pond was found to have a lytic effect on a wide variety of blue-green bacteria and on several bacteria, including other bacilli. The isolate, designated 247, has been identified as an atypical Bacillus brevis. The lytic activity was found in the culture filtrate and was produced during the stationary phase of growth. When the culture filtrate was applied to the interaction between Plectonema boryanum and LPP-cyanophages, it facilitated the establishment of lysogeny by these viruses.