Complete genomic sequence of Pseudomonas lactis bacteriophage HU1 isolated from raw cow's milk.

The lytic cold-active phage HU1, a member of the family Podoviridae, infects Pseudomonas lactis and was first isolated from raw cow's milk. In this study, we used deep sequencing to determine and analyze the DNA genome sequence of HU1. We identified a 42,551-base-pair genome comprising double-stranded DNA, with 69 predicted open reading frames and a GC content of 56.

A Lytic Bacteriophage for Controlling Pseudomonas lactis in Raw Cow's Milk.

The control of bacterial growth during milk processing is crucial for the quality maintenance of commercial milk and milk products. During a period of cold storage prior to heat treatments, some psychrotrophic bacteria grow and produce extracellular heat-resistant lipases and proteases that cause product defects. The use of lytic bacteriophages (phages) that infect and kill bacteria could be a useful tool for suppressing bacterial growth during this cold storage phase.