First description of a cyanophage infecting the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina)

Cyanobacteria constitute a versatile group of photosynthetic bacteria of immense commercial and ecological importance. Some species of this group are cultivated and sold as food because of their high nutritional value. This is typically the case for Arthrospira platensis. We describe, for the first time, a virus infecting this economically important filamentous cyanobacterium isolated from culture pools located in the South of France. This virus could be observed and discriminated easily from other particles with flow cytometry. Based on morphology and molecular investigation, it was proposed that the virus belongs to the cyanopodovirus group with a capsid and short tail of about 120 and 20 nm, respectively. Finally, the virus appeared to be highly specific (very narrow host range) to A. platensis.