Open AccessInfection of Streptococcus oralis NCTC 11427 by pneumococcal phages
Author(s) -
Ronda Concepción,
García JoséLuis,
López Rubens
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1989.tb03620.x
Subject(s) - streptococcus oralis , microbiology and biotechnology , streptococcus pneumoniae , streptococcaceae , pneumococcal infections , biology , streptococcus , virology , bacteria , antibiotics , genetics
We have found a group of pneumococcal bacteriophages (Cp‐1, Cp‐7) that can successfully infect and replicate in Streptococcus oralis , whereas Dp‐1 was unable to infect this species. We have also developed conditions that allowed transfection of S. oralis using Dp‐1 DNA. Our results support the direct involvement of the phage‐coded lysins in the leberation of the phage progeny from infected S. oralis cells. Since S. oralis and S. pneumoniae are bacteria that share the same ecological niche in humans, the availability of the system described here should allow to extend our current studies on the modular organization of the lytic enzymes and might serve as a tool to study the evolutionary relationships between host and parasite.