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Review
. 2022 May 31;14(6):385.
doi: 10.3390/toxins14060385.

A Review of Cyanophage-Host Relationships: Highlighting Cyanophages as a Potential Cyanobacteria Control Strategy

Christopher R Grasso  1 , Kaytee L Pokrzywinski  2   3 , Christopher Waechter  4 , Taylor Rycroft  2 , Yanyan Zhang  5 , Alyssa Aligata  4 , Michael Kramer  4 , Anisha Lamsal  4
Affiliations
Review

A Review of Cyanophage-Host Relationships: Highlighting Cyanophages as a Potential Cyanobacteria Control Strategy

Christopher R Grasso et al. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are naturally occurring phenomena, and cyanobacteria are the most commonly occurring HABs in freshwater systems. Cyanobacteria HABs (cyanoHABs) negatively affect ecosystems and drinking water resources through the production of potent toxins. Furthermore, the frequency, duration, and distribution of cyanoHABs are increasing, and conditions that favor cyanobacteria growth are predicted to increase in the coming years. Current methods for mitigating cyanoHABs are generally short-lived and resource-intensive, and have negative impacts on non-target species. Cyanophages (viruses that specifically target cyanobacteria) have the potential to provide a highly specific control strategy with minimal impacts on non-target species and propagation in the environment. A detailed review (primarily up to 2020) of cyanophage lifecycle, diversity, and factors influencing infectivity is provided in this paper, along with a discussion of cyanophage and host cyanobacteria relationships for seven prominent cyanoHAB-forming genera in North America, including: Synechococcus, Microcystis, Dolichospermum, Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis, Planktothrix, and Lyngbya. Lastly, factors affecting the potential application of cyanophages as a cyanoHAB control strategy are discussed, including efficacy considerations, optimization, and scalability for large-scale applications.

Keywords: cyanobacteria; cyanophage; harmful algal bloom management; phages.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of USBR or the Department of the Interior, NOAA or the Department of Commerce, and should not be construed as an Official Department of the Army position or decision unless so designated by other official documentation.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of publications on cyanophages from 1990 to 2019.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of publications on cyanophages by cyanobacteria host genus, from 1990 to 2019.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A truncated violin plot timeline for cyanophage–cyanobacteria publications by cyanobacteria genera for seven high-priority cyanobacteria genera. N2 signifies nitrogen fixers, and No-N2 denotes non-nitrogen fixers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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