Bergh O, Børsheim K Y, Bratbak G, Heldal M
Department of Microbiology and Plant Physiology, University of Bergen, Norway.
Nature. 1989 Aug 10;340(6233):467-8. doi: 10.1038/340467a0.
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.
一般认为，在天然未受污染的水体中噬菌体的浓度较低，因此它们在生态学上一直被视为不重要。通过一种新的定量计数方法，我们发现在天然水体中每毫升高达2.5×10⁸个病毒颗粒。这些浓度表明病毒感染可能是浮游微生物生态控制中的一个重要因素，并且病毒可能在天然水生环境中介导细菌之间的基因交换。
