In situ replication studies of somatic and male-specific coliphages in a tropical pristine river

The present study was carried out in order to evaluate coliphage survival and their ability to replicate in tropical aquatic environments. Results showed that coliphages survived for extended periods of time, however, neither sewage isolates nor laboratory phage strains replicated in the environment. Neither one of the bacterial strains tested were permissive to phage replication under environmental conditions. These observations indicate that replication of “fecal coliphages” does not occur in the tropical aquatic environment and suggest that either somatic or male-specific coliphages may be considered as potential indicators of fecal contamination in tropical aquatic environments.