Open AccessRole of bacteriophages in genomic variability of related coagulase‐negative staphylococci
Author(s) -
Lina Bruno,
Bes Michelle,
Vandenesch François,
Greenland Timothy,
Etienne Jerome,
Fleurette Jean
Publication year - 1993
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.1574-6968.1993.tb06180.x
Subject(s) - prophage , biology , southern blot , dna , bacteriophage , restriction map , pulsed field gel electrophoresis , genetics , restriction enzyme , microbiology and biotechnology , coagulase , strain (injury) , plasmid , staphylococcus , bacteria , escherichia coli , staphylococcus aureus , genotype , gene , anatomy
DNA analysis using pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has emerged as one of the most sensitive epidemiological tools for the characterization of coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CNST). The significance of some minor differences observed between the DNA restriction pulsed patterns of two CNST strains are difficult to interpret since they can theoretically be due to minor chromosomal rearrangements or to phage DNA integration. The latter possibility was investigated by comparing DNA restriction patterns of Staphylococcus epidermidis strains with those of their lysogenized derivatives. In vitro lysogenisation was obtained by exposing the strains to phage 118II. The pulsed patterns of the lysogenized strains were compared to those of their parental strains, revealing a shift in size of approximately 50 kb in a single band which was shown by Southern blotting to contain prophage. One strain was lysogenized ten times, revealing a potential preferref attachment site for phage 118II. These results confirm that chromosomal integration of a phage can be responsible for minor stanle variations in DNA restriction patterns.