Bacteriophages, simply known as phages, are viruses that infect and replicate within host cells. Microbacterium foliorum was used as the bacterial host during the Bio 1110 class last semester at Carthage College. Various samples of soil were collected all with the same goal to isolate and purify a single phage using a series of dilution assays. Some of these phages were able to produce enough DNA for analysis, including our phage, Blage, a member of the EA1 cluster. The dilution assays resulted in Blage forming hazy plaques–typically a characteristic of a temperate phage. Through DNA analysis, Blage was revealed to be lytic, and further investigation using Electron Microscopy revealed Blage to show siphoviridae morphology. The primary goal of the research this semester has been to analyze and annotate the genome of Blage. This research was done using the SEA PHAGES programs Phamerator and PECAAN, which compile data using multiple algorithms such as HHPRED and NCBI Blast to allow us to compare previously annotated phages and their genomes alongside Blage. Further research using additional bioinformatic tools and bench assays are being performed. 

Edward Hartman Jr.

Biology Major

Carthage College

Crystal Lake, Illinois

Logan Grimm

Allied Health Science Major

Carthage College

Shoreview, Minnesota