The Behaviour of a Temperate Phage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared with that of a Serologically related, Virulent Mutant

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Abstract
SUMMARY: A temperate phage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. pyocyanea), on addition to a non-Iysogenic indicator strain of the organism, produced a lysogenic culture with a high spontaneous rate of free phage production. A virulent mutant, serologically related to the temperate phage, was obtained from this lysogenic culture; this mutant did not give rise to lysogenically infected bacteria. Both virulent and temperate phages, acting on an indicator strain, had latent periods of 90 min., and the multiplication of each was inhibited by a phenanthridine added immediately after adsorption. This indicated that the initial stage of infection is the same for both types of phage. The production of free phage (i.e. the prophage to phage change) by the lysogenic culture derived from the temperate phage was not inhibited by the drug.