LYSOGENY IN A COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCUS

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Abstract
A temperate phage (S-13), for which a coagulase-negative strain (SA-13) is lysogenic, was isolated during an investigation of lysogenicity in coagulase-negative staphylococci. Its indicator strain (SA-14) is also coagulase-negative and the phage can be propagated on it. Higher phage titers were obtained following exposure of cultures of lysogenic strain SA-13 to ultraviolet irradiation.As determined by electron microscopy, the phage has a typical morphology and consists of a 'head' and a 'tail', the size and shape of which are similar to those of the staphylococcus typing phages. Phage S-13 differs, however, from these phages in as much as its plaques are much larger; it also belongs to a different serological group. Its lytic activity is very limited as shown from the fact that only 3 coagulase-negative strains were lysed out of 2672 coagulase-positive and 93 coagulase-negative strains tested.Except for the loss in sensitivity to phage S-13, the lysogenic substrains of indicator strain SA-14 lysogenized with phage S-13 retained the same characters as the parent strain from which they were derived, viz., they were coagulase-negative, were non-typable with the typing phages, and had the same antibiotic sensitivities.The phenomenon of lysogenicity in coagulase-negative staphylococci is compared with that in coagulase-positive staphylococci.

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