Three novel Erwinia billingiae phages isolated from organic waste represent three new genera

Despite the ecological significance of viral communities, phages remain insufficiently studied. Current genomic databases lack high-quality phage genome sequences linked to specific bacteria. Bacteria of the genus Erwinia are known to colonize the phyllosphere of plants, both as commensals and as pathogens. We isolated three Erwinia billingiae phages—Zoomie, Pecta, and Snitter—from organic household waste. Based on sequence similarity to their closest relatives, we propose that they represent three new genera: “Pectavirus” within the family Zobellviridae, “Snittervirus” in the subfamily Tempevirinae, family Drexlerviridae, and “Zoomievirus” within the family Autographiviridae, which, together with the genus Limelightvirus, may constitute a new subfamily.