Concentration and purification of mycobacteriophages with polyethylene glycol 6000.

Experiments were performed to concentrate and purify mycobacteriophages with polyethylene glycol 6000; 6, 9, and 8 per cent polyethylene glycol 6,000 proved to be optimal concentrations for precipitating phages of Mycobacterium phlei, Mycobacterium smegmatis strain butyricum, and mycobacterium smegmatis strain Rabinowitz, respectively. Preparative polyethylene glycol reverse gradients were constructed for further concentration and purification of the precipitated phages. With the method described, large amounts of crude phage lysates can be concentrated and purified rapidly.