Bacteriophage f2

Bacteriophage f2
Virus classification
Group:	Group IV ((+)ssRNA)
Family:	Leviviridae
Genus:	Levivirus
Species:	Bacteriophage f2

The bacteriophage f2 is an icosahedral, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that infects the bacterium Escherichia coli.^[1] It is extremely similar to bacteriophage MS2.

History

f2 was the first RNA-containing bacteriophage to be isolated, reported in 1961.^[2] Tim Loeb and Norton Zinder searched for and discovered two phages in filtered samples of raw New York City sewage that grew on male (F+) but not female (F−) E. coli. The first phage was f1, which produced cloudy plaques; the second phage was f2, which produced clear plaques.^[1]

References

1. van Duin, J.; Tsareva, N. (2006). "Single-stranded RNA phages. Chapter 15". In Calendar, R. L. The Bacteriophages (Second ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 175–196. ISBN 0195148509.
2. Loeb, T.; Zinder, N. D. (1961). "A bacteriophage containing RNA" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 47 (3): 282–289. doi:10.1073/pnas.47.3.282.