A new virulent phage (Lcb) of Lactobacillus casei ATCC 393 was isolated from Chinese sauerkraut. It was specific to L. casei ATCC 393. Electron micrograph revealed that it had an icosahedral head (60.2 ± 0.8 nm in diameter) and a long tail (251 ± 2.6 nm). It belonged to the Siphoviridae family. The genome of phage Lcb was estimated to be approximately 40 kb and did not contain cohesive ends. One-step growth kinetics of its lytic development revealed latent and burst periods of 75 and 45 min, respectively, with a burst size of 16 PFU per infected cell. The phage was able to survive in a pH range between 4 and 11. However, a treatment of 70 °C for 30 min and 75% ethanol or isopropanol for 20 min was observed to inactivate phage Lcb thoroughly. The presence of both Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) showed a little influence on phage adsorption, but they were indispensable to gain complete lysis and improve plaque formation. The adsorption kinetics were similar on viable or nonviable cells, and high adsorption rates maintained between 10 and 37 °C. The highest adsorption rate was at 30 °C. This study increased the knowledge on phages of L. casei. The characterization of phage Lcb is helpful to establish a basis for adopting effective strategies to control phage attack in industry.
Keywords: Adsorption; Bacteriophage; Lactobacillus casei; Lysis; Phage stability.