Premium
Mycobacteriophage L5 infection of Mycobacterium bovis BCG: implications for phage genetics in the slow‐growing mycobacteria
Author(s) -
Fullner Karla Jean,
Hatfull Graham F.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1997.6111984.x
Subject(s) - mycobacterium smegmatis , biology , mycobacterium bovis , mycobacterium tuberculosis , microbiology and biotechnology , mycobacterium , lysogen , temperateness , virology , bacteriophage , tuberculosis , genetics , gene , bacteria , medicine , pathology , escherichia coli
Mycobacteriophage L5 is a well‐characterized temperate phage that forms stable lysogens in Mycobacterium smegmatis . The host range of L5 is, however, unclear because previous reports suggested that it does not infect slow‐growing mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and bacille Calmette‐Guérin (BCG). Moreover, luciferase reporter phage derivatives of L5 failed to produce light from BCG, suggesting that infection is blocked at or before the stage of DNA injection. In this study, we demonstrate that L5 infection of slow growing mycobacteria specifically requires a high concentration of Ca 2+ , conditions that differs from those required for infection of M. smegmatis by L5 and for infection of BCG by the closely related phage D29. In addition, we show that there are specific genetic determinants of L5 that confer the ability to infect slow growing mycobacteria, without altering infection of M. smegmatis . These observations extend the use of phage L5 for the diagnosis and analysis of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases.