Genome analysis of the temperate bacteriophage PMBT6 residing in the genome of Bifidobacterium thermophilum MBT94004

The Siphoviridae phage PMBT6 was identified by transmission electron microscopy in the supernatant of Bifidobacterium thermophilum MBT94004 bioreactor fermentation culture, where it occurred at a moderately high titer. Genome analysis of the bacterial DNA confirmed the presence of this prophage within the genome of the lysogenic host. Under laboratory conditions, the prophage could not be induced by mitomycin C, ultraviolet C irradiation or hydrogen peroxide, suggesting that the prophage was released by spontaneous induction under (yet unknown) bioreactor conditions. Genome sequencing of the virion resulted in a linear, double-stranded DNA molecule of 36,561 bp with a mol% G + C content of 61.7 and 61 predicted open reading frames with low similarity to other Bifidobacterium spp. genomes, confirming that PMBT6 represents a novel temperate phage for this genus.