Isolating, Culturing, and Purifying Viruses With a Focus on Bacterial and Archaeal Viruses

Abstract

Studies on archaeal and bacterial viruses have laid the basis for the development of modern virology and molecular biology. Key to this success has been experimental culture-dependent model systems where viruses can be cultured, purified, and analyzed in laboratory conditions. Efficient virus production can be achieved by optimizing the culture conditions in a suitable host. Purification methods of bacterial and archaeal viruses are universal and applicable for eukaryotic viruses and other macromolecular biocomplexes. The biophysical and biochemical properties of the virus particles and their sensitivity to experimental conditions affect the purification methods chosen.