ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF A TEMPERATE PHAGE INDUCED FROM Candida albicans

E.M. MAREI¹*, R.M. ELBAZ², A.A. SHARAF³, S.I. EL-AFIFI^4
1Department of Agric. Microbiology, Virology lab., Department of Genetic, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain-Shams University, Hadayek-Shoubra 11241, Cario, Egypt.
²Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Ain Helwan, Cairo-11790, Egypt.
³Department of Agric. Microbiology, Virology lab., Department of Genetic, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain-Shams University, Hadayek-Shoubra 11241, Cario, Egypt.
⁴Department of Agric. Microbiology, Virology lab., Department of Genetic, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain-Shams University, Hadayek-Shoubra 11241, Cario, Egypt.
* Corresponding Author : wel_memo@yahoo.com

Received : 17-06-2015     Accepted : 09-07-2015     Published : 14-07-2015
Volume : 4     Issue : 1       Pages : 39 - 43
J Virol Res 4.1 (2015):39-43

Keywords : Candida albicans, Temperate phage and Transmission electron microscope
Academic Editor : Dr Rajeev Kumar, Hammad Adel, Ranjana Hawaldar, Rajesh Laik, Mathapati B.S., Dey S., Doijad Swapnil, Said Dora, Goel Annu, Deneke Yosef, Sripad K.
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : We would like to thank Mohammed Omar for providing the Candida albicans isolates.

A temperate phage was induced from Candida albicans ATCC 10231 using mitomycin-c at concentration of 1μg/ml. The temperate phage was designated Candida albicans induced phage (CAIP1). Candida albicans induced temperate phage (CAIP1) formed circular turbid single plaques of 2mm in diameter. The susceptibility of twenty seven C. albicans and two S. cerevisiae isolates to the induced phage was tested. The induced phage was found to be infectious only to Candida albicans ATCC 10231 among the tested isolates. Electron micrograph of negatively stained phage particles showed hexagonal icosahedral virus particles of 78 nm in diameter and may be classified under to family Pseudoviridae, Genus Hemivirus. This phage (CAIP1), has been entered into databases at Phages DB. It can be viewed at the link: http://phagesdb.org/phages/CAIP1/ Ultrathin sections of infected C. albicans cells and healthy ones were examined by electron microscopy. Marked changes in mitochondria and nuclear membrane were observed in the infected cells as compared to the healthy ones. Moreover, in the late phase of infection, cytoplasmic coagulation, lysis of the cell wall and release of the induced phage particles were also observed.