{
  "name": "How many phages: counts per millilitre, ocean and Earth totals",
  "desc": "Viruses and bacteria per millilitre of seawater, upper counts for natural waters and the oceans, ocean and Earth totals, infection and lysis rates, and how many phages have been examined in the electron microscope.",
  "lic": "CC BY 4.0",
  "lic_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "by": "Ants, Cells & Atoms",
  "url": "https://antscellsandatoms.com/microscopic-life/bacteriophage/",
  "from": [
    "Mann 2005 full text (saved copy, 2026-10-25)",
    "Bergh et al. 1989, Wigington et al. 2016 and its 2017 correction, Suttle 1994, Suttle 2007, Mushegian 2020 and Ackermann 2007 abstracts (saved records, 2026-10-25)"
  ],
  "how": "Compiled by Ants, Cells & Atoms from the data listed",
  "data_by": [
    "Mann NH 2005, PLoS Biology 3(5):e182, CC BY 4.0, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030182 (about 10^7 viruses per millilitre of seawater; 10^6–10^7 bacterioplankton cells; 10^30 or more phages in the biosphere; retrieved 2026-10-25)",
    "Bergh Ø, Børsheim KY, Bratbak G, Heldal M 1989, Nature 340:467–468, https://doi.org/10.1038/340467a0 (abstract: up to 2.5 x 10^8 per millilitre; retrieved 2026-10-25)",
    "Wigington CH et al. 2016, Nature Microbiology 1(3):15024, https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2015.24, and Author Correction 2017, Nature Microbiology 2(11):1571, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-017-0042-1 (abstracts; retrieved 2026-10-25)",
    "Suttle CA 1994, Microbial Ecology 28(2):237–243, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00166813 (abstract: about 20% infected, 10–20% lysed daily; retrieved 2026-10-25)",
    "Suttle CA 2007, Nature Reviews Microbiology 5(10):801–812, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1750 (abstract: 10^30 viruses in the ocean, about 10^23 infections per second; retrieved 2026-10-25)",
    "Mushegian AR 2020, Journal of Bacteriology 202(9):e00052-20, https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00052-20 (abstract: about 10^31 virus particles on Earth, traced to Hendrix RW et al. 1999, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.96.5.2192; retrieved 2026-10-25)",
    "Ackermann HW 2007, Archives of Virology 152(2):227–243, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-006-0849-1 (abstract: at least 5568 phages examined, 96% tailed; retrieved 2026-10-25)",
    "one ratio computed 2026-10-25 for this page"
  ]
}