POL: P&P Abstract VOL 65:PG 161

The Effects of Methylene Blue and Oxygen Concentration on the Photoinactivation of Qß Bacteriophage

Denis Lee, Michael Foux and Edward F. Leonard*

Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Mining Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
*To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Columbia University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Mining Engineering, 814 Mudd Bldg., 500 W. 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA. Fax: 212-854-3054; e-mail: leonard@columbia.edu.

Received 26 April 1996; accepted 25 September 1996

ABSTRACT

Concentration effects of methylene blue (MB) and oxygen on the photoinactivation rate of Qß bacteriophage were examined. The effect of initial virus concentration was verified on the similar f2 phage. The inactivation rate, k, is an increasing function of MB and O2 concentration and shows saturation with respect to MB concentration. Thus the results suggest that MB must adsorb to Qß sites and oxygen must be present for photoinactivation to occur. The inactivation rate is independent of the initial number of phage particles present before inactivation, indicating that inactivation does not depend upon interaction among viral particles or on surface effects. The results indicate that at least two different viral phenotypes exist within the wild-type Qß and f2 populations: one susceptible and the other resistant.

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