Views and Commentaries

The first phage electron micrographs

Volume 1, Issue 4   July - December 2011
Pages 225 - 227
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/bact.1.4.17280
Keywords: bacteriophage, electron microscopy, history
Authors: Hans-W. Ackermann

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Abstract:
The first phage electron micrographs were published in 1940 in Germany and proved the particulate nature of bacteriophages. Phages and infected bacteria were first examined raw and unstained. US American scientists introduced shadowing and freeze-drying. Phages appeared to be tailed and morphologically heterogeneous. Phage types identified by early electron microscopy include enterobacteriophages T4, T1, T7, T5, 7–11, ViI and Pseudomonas phage PB1. This paper retraces the development of early virus electron microscopy till the introduction of negative staining.

Received: June 30, 2011; Accepted: July 22, 2011

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