• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.201-208
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• 2002

Staphylokinase is seldom formed by animal Staphylococcus aureus strains. In this study, 76(72.4%) of 105 Staph aureus strains isolated from bovine mastitis were found to produce a staphylokinase. These staphylokinase producing strains were tested for lysogenic conversion by means of delysogenization procedure and isolation of serotype B and F converting phages. By the application of delysogenization method comprised of UV irradiation and acriflavine treatment to 76 staphylokinase-positive strains, the delysogenized cells could be observed in 29(38.2%) of the strains and delysogenization rates in 16(55.2%) of 29 delysogenized strains were 0.9% or less. A total of 7 serological group F phages were isolated from 76 staphylokinase-positive strains, and these phages could be again divided into three groups by the immunity reaction. Of 7 serotype F phages, 2 were isolated from the original lysogenic strains producing colonies of delysogenized cells after delysogenizing treatments and 5 were isolated from strains in which delysogenized cells were not observed after delysogenizing treatments. Difference of sensitivities to serological group F phages between original lysogenic strains and strains from which delysogenized cells were not isolated after delysogenizing treatments was not observed These data suggest that staphylokinase production of the remaining 42 strains might be also mediated by lysogenic conversion.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2000

Lysogenic conversion of Staphylococcus aureus to loss of ${\beta}-hemolysin$ production by serological group F phages is always associated with gain in staphylokinase production. In this study, the new phages belonging to serotype F were detected during the course of isolation of phages from Staph aureus of bovine origin and some characteristics of the new phages isolated were investigated. The new phages, ${\phi}470$ and ${\phi}499$, isolated from Staph aureus producing ${\beta}-hemolysin$ and staphylokinase(${\beta}^+\;K^+$) were found to convert ${\beta}^+\;K^+$ strain to ${\beta}^+K\;^+$, Staph aureus strains lysogenized by this serotype F single-converting phage ${\phi}470$ or ${\phi}499$ could be again lysogenized with serotype F double-converting phage ${\phi}506$. The frequency of lysogenization of indicator strains by serotype F single-converting phage was 100%, whereas the frequency for serotype F double-converting phage ${\phi}506$ varied from 4.2% to 97.6% according to the indicator strains. The indicator strain lysogenized with phage ${\phi}470$ was resistant to phage ${\phi}499$, and vice versa, but not to phage ${\phi}506$. Therefore, phage ${\phi}470$ and ${\phi}499$ were shown to be identical by immunity test.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.263-269
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• 2016

Temperate phages have been suggested to carry virulence factors and other lysogenic conversion genes that play important roles in pathogenicity. In this study, phage TEM123 in wild-type Staphylococcus aureus from food sources was analyzed with respect to its morphology, genome sequence, and antibiotic resistance conversion ability. Phage TEM123 from a mitomycin C-induced lysate of S. aureus was isolated from foods. Morphological analysis under a transmission electron microscope revealed that it belonged to the family Siphoviridae. The genome of phage TEM123 consisted of a double-stranded DNA of 43,786 bp with a G+C content of 34.06%. A bioinformatics analysis of the phage genome identified 43 putative open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encoded a protein that was nearly identical to the metallo-β-lactamase enzymes that degrade β-lactam antibiotics. After transduction to S. aureus with phage TEM123, the metallo-β-lactamase gene was confirmed in the transductant by PCR and sequencing analyses. In a β-lactam antibiotic susceptibility test, the transductant was more highly resistant to β-lactam antibiotics than S. aureus S133. Phage TEM123 might play a role in the transfer of β-lactam antibiotic resistance determinants in S. aureus. Therefore, we suggest that the prophage of S. aureus with its exotoxin is a risk factor for food safety in the food chain through lateral gene transfer.