Table 1.
Decay rates of F. psychrophilum phages in the trout kidney, in buffer at various pHs, and in pond watera
| Condition | Mean FpV-9 decay rate ± SDb |
|---|---|
| Kidney | |
| +F. psychrophilum | 0.037 ± 0.010* h−1 |
| Control | 0.045 ± 0.009* h−1 |
| Buffer | |
| pH 3.0 | 1 |
| pH 4.5 | 0.038 ± 0.004* day−1 |
| pH 6.0 | 0.002 ± 0.003 day−1 |
| pH 7.5 | 0.004 ± 0.003 day−1 |
| Pond water | |
| Untreated | 0.112 ± 0.066* day−1 |
| Autoclaved | 0.076 ± 0.009* day−1 |
| Filtered | 0.072 ± 0.008* day−1 |
a
The decay rates were determined for F. psychrophilum phages (i) inside the rainbow trout kidney after i.p. injections, (ii) during incubations in buffer at various pHs, and (iii) in untreated, autoclaved, and 0.2-μm-pore-size-filtered pond water, respectively.
b
*, a decrease in phage infectivity over time that was statistically significant (i.e., the slope was significantly different from 0; P < 0.05).