Isolation, characterization and complete nucleotide sequence of a novel temperate bacteriophage Min1, isolated from the nematode pathogen Microbacterium nematophilum.

We report the discovery, properties and complete sequence (46,365bp) of Min1, the first bacteriophage to be reported for the coryneform genus Microbacterium. This temperate phage is normally integrated into a stable plasmid, pMN1, found in cells of Microbacterium nematophilum, a pathogen of certain soil nematodes including Caenorhabditis elegans, but it can also grow lytically. The phage is lambdoid in morphology and in sequence, belonging to the family Siphoviridae. General and specific features of the genome are discussed, together with possible contributions of the phage to host virulence.