Phage typing of Staphylococcus intermedius.
Staphylococcus intermedius, a coagulase-positive staphylococcal species, is a common canine pathogen and a rare human wound pathogen. A total of 145 strains of S. intermedius (ATCC 29663, 4 reference strains, 4 human isolates, 44 canine infection isolates, and 92 isolates from canine gingiva) were screened for lysogenic phage by a modified Fisk method. Nineteen phage preparations were prepared for preliminary typing experiments. Lytic activity was observed on 93 of 145 (64.1%) isolates, yielding 44 lytic patterns with individual strains susceptible to one or more phages. Five phages lysed only a single strain, but lytic patterns varied from 1 to 11 lytic phages per isolate. A distinct lytic pattern did not separate canine or human wound isolates from canine gingival isolates. All human wound isolates fell into the two most common canine gingival or wound patterns; the single human nasopharyngeal isolate was not lysed by any phage. Twenty-two of 44 (55%) canine wound isolates and 65 of 92 (71%) gingival isolates yielded lytic patterns. Lysogenic phages are common in S. intermedius. This preliminary study suggests that phage typing may be a useful tool in distinguishing epidemiologically related strains.
Overturf
G D
GD
Department of Pathology, University of California, Los Angeles.
Talan
D A
DA
Singer
K
K
Anderson
N
N
Miller
J I
JI
Greene
R T
RT
Froman
S
S
D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D004285:Dogs; D005881:Gingiva / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008242:Lysogeny; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology