Oxygen effect in bacteriophages irradiated in different media. 2

Radiation inactivation of phage T4 in bactopeptone has been studied. It was shown that the irradiation of the phage in concentrated bactopeptone (P) resulted in an opposite oxygen effect, wich was due to a greater damaging efficiency of P- as compared to that of oxidized radicals of bactopeptone PO2-. The indirect effect of the irradiation to the damage of the phage under various conditions was evaluated and the efficiency of P- and PO2- with OH- was compared. The damaging efficiency of P- and PO2- was 0.46 and 0.16, resp., with respect to OH--. The dose curves were shifted from the exponential character when the phage was irradiated in 0.005 - 0.01 % bactopeptone. This shift can be explained by the decrease of bactopeptone molar concentration resulting from recombination of the radicals of bactopeptone. Under irradiation in oxygen postirradiation action of hydrogen peroxide was shown to contribute to the shift. (author)