Figure 5.
Confocal microscopy images showing lysis of the host M. smegmatis mc2 155 cells by mycobacteriophage KVT1. M. smegmatis cells were grown to mid-log phase in liquid culture and infected by phage KVT1 at a MOI of 5 and incubated at 37°C. For fluorescence imaging, cell membrane (red) and nucleoid region (blue) were stained by Nile Red and DAPI, respectively. Stained cells (10 µl) were placed onto an agar pad at 15-, 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120-min intervals M. smegmatis cells before infection were taken as control. Blue-colored nuclear blobs start to appear at 30 min that increases appreciably at 60 min, indicating cell death. Maximum nuclear and cell debris are visible at 120 min after incubation.