Bacteriophage Ecology Group
Reference Abstracts (1984)
Dedicated to the ecology and evolutionary biology of the parasites of unicellular organisms (UOPs)
© Stephen T. Abedon
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© Phage et al. last updated on Wednesday, December 26, 2001
  1. New species definitions in phages of gram-positive cocci. Ackermann, H.-W., Cantor, E.D., Jarvis, A.W., Lembke, J., Mayo, J.A. (1984). Interviriology 22:181-190. [TOP OF PAGE]

  2. Classification of Vibrio bacteriophages. Ackermann, H.-W., Kasatiya, S.S., Kawata, T., Koga, T., Lee, J.V., Mbiguino, A., Newman, F.S., Vieu, J.-F., Zachary, A. (1984). Intervirology 22:61-71. [TOP OF PAGE]

  3. Preventive effectiveness of dried polyvalent Shigella bacteriophage in organized collective groups. Anpilov, L.I., Prokudin, A.A. (1984). Voenno-Med. Zh. 5:39-40. [TOP OF PAGE]

  4. THE GROUP OF GENETICALLY RELATED PHAGES OF CORYNEBACTERIUM-GLUTAMICUM. ARUTYUNYAN, S.Z., AKHVERDYAN, V.Z., Khrenova, E.A., KARABEKOV, B.P., Krylov, V.N. (1984). Genetika 20:730-737. The group of genetically related phages of Corynebacterium glutamicum.The bacteriophages MC-1, MC-2, MC-3 and MC-4 specific for C. glutamicum were studied. The phages represent a group of genetically related phages with common physical, chemical and biological properties. All these phages belong to the morphological group IV, according to Tikhonenko's classification. Phage genomes consist of double-stranded DNA with a MW of .apprx. 37.3 megadaltons. DNA have single-stranded cohesive ends. [TOP OF PAGE]

  5. The effect of suspended particular material on cyanobacteria-cyanophage interactions in liquid culture. Barnet, Y.M., Daft, M.J., Stewart, W.D.P. (1984). J. Appl. Bacteriol. 56:109-115. The effect of the lytic phage LPP-DUNI on the cyanobacterium Plectonema borya has been investigated in batch and in continuous cultures in the presence and absence of silt. In batch culture Plectonema without added phage grew normally: the presence of phage caused rapid lysis of the cyanobacterium and the addition of the prevented lysis of the cyanobacterium and the addition of the prevented lysis by the phage. In continuous culture the numbers of cyanobacterial cells and phage particles oscillated in a reciprocal manner, but the addition silt damped down the oscillations in Plectonema biomass without decreasing the numbers of phage particles isolated from the cultures. [TOP OF PAGE]

  6. FLAGELLA SPECIFIC BACTERIO PHAGES OF AGROBACTERIUM-TUMEFACIENS DEMONSTRATION OF VIRULENCE OF NONMOTILE MUTANTS. Bradley, D.E., DOUGLAS, C.J., PESCHON, J. (1984). Canadian Journal of Microbiology 30:676-681. Flagella-specific bacteriophages of Agrobacterium tumefaciens: Demonstration of virulence of nonmotile mutants.Phages GS2 and GS6 for A. tumefaciens were shown by EM to adsorb to flagella. This specificity was confirmed by the finding that phage-resistant mutants were nonmotile. Such mutants retained tumor-inducing virulence and ability to attach to plant cells, indicating that motility was not required for these properties. Both phages had contractile tails and appeared similar by EM. [TOP OF PAGE]

  7. [Distribution of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus in river water with different degrees of bacterial contamination]. Bukaeva, I.N., Ibragimov, F.K., Dalechin, N.B., Androsova, S.V. (1984). Gigiena i Sanitariia 86-87. [TOP OF PAGE]

  8. Further sequence analysis of the phage lambda receptor site. Possible implications for the organization of the lamB protein in Escherichia coli K12. Charbit, A., Clement, J.M., Hofnung, M. (1984). J. Mol. Biol. 175:395-401. We present the DNA sequence alterations due to seven lamB missense mutations yielding resistance to phages lambda and K10. They reveal five different amino acid positions in the LamB protein. Three positions (245, 247 and 249) define a new region required for phage adsorption. The two other positions (148 and 152) belong to a region where mutations to phage resistance has already been detected. These two regions are hydrophilic and could belong to turns of the protein located at the surface of the cell. All the missense mutational alterations to phage resistance sequenced in the LamB protein correspond to 10 sites located in four different segments of the polypeptide chain. We discuss their location in terms of the notion of phage receptor site and of a working model for the organization of this protein in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. [TOP OF PAGE]

  9. Immune response to psychological disturbance in squirrel and rhesus monkeys. Coe, C.L., Rosenberg, L., Levine, S. (1984). American Journal of Primatology 6:402-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  10. Properties of Brucella-phages lytic for non-smooth Brucella strains. Corbel, M.J. (1984). Developm 56:55-62. A series of host-range mutants has been selected for brucella-phage R. Two of these mutants designated R/O and R/C have been used for typing purposes. Phage R/O is lytic for non-smooth strains of Brucella abortus and for B. ovis. It is genetically unstable however and produces mutants lytic for smooth B. obortus and B. suis. Phage R/C is lytic for non-smooth B. abortus and for B. ovis and B. canis. It is much more stable than phages R or R/O and shows little or no lytic activity on smooth Brucella strains. It has been effective in differentiating B. canis from B. suis in tests on a limited number of strains. In their properties, all of the brucella-phages of the R series resemble their parent phage. [TOP OF PAGE]

  11. Restriction of bacteriophage plaque formation in Streptomyces spp. Cox, K.L., Baltz, R.H. (1984). J. Bacteriol. 159:499-504. Several Streptomyces species that produce restriction endonucleases were characterized for their ability to propagate 10 different broad host range bacteriophages. Each species displayed a different pattern of plaque formation. A restrictionless mutant of S. albus G allowed plaque formation by all 10 phages, whereas the wild-type strain showed plaques with only 2 phages. DNA isolated from three of the phages was analyzed for the presence of restriction sites for Streptomyces species-encoded enzymes, and a very strong correlation was established between the failure to form plaques on Streptomyces species that produced particular restriction enzymes and the presence of the corresponding restriction sites in the phage DNA. Also, the phages that lacked restriction sites in their DNA generally formed plaques on the corresponding restriction endonuclease-producing hosts at high efficiency. The DNAs from the three phages analyzed also generally contained either many or no restriction sites for the Streptomyces species-produced enzymes, suggesting a strong evolutionary trend to either eliminate all or tolerate many restriction sites. The data indicate that restriction plays a major role in host range determination for Streptomyces phages. Analysis of bacteriophage host ranges of many other uncharacterized Streptomyces hosts has identified four relatively nonrestricting hosts, at least two of which may be suitable hosts for gene cloning. The data also suggest that several restriction systems remain to be identified in the genus Streptomyces. [TOP OF PAGE]

  12. Phage typing of mycobacteria. Crawford, J., Bates, J.H. (1984). pp. 123-132. In In Kubica, G.P. and Wayne, L.G. (eds.), The Mycobacteria: A sourcebook, Part A. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, NY. [TOP OF PAGE]

  13. The importance of the K1 capsule in invasive infections caused by Escherichia coli. Cross, A.S., Gemski, P., Sadoff, J.C., Orskov, F., Orskov, I. (1984). J. Infect. Dis. 149:184-193. We examined 534 clinical isolates of Escherichia coli for sensitivity to rough lipopolysaccharide-specific and K1-specific phages. Twenty-eight percent of bacteremic isolates were sensitive to rough-specific phages. Forty-two percent of these strains, against only 20% of bacteremic isolates insensitive to rough-specific phages, had K1 capsule (P less than 0.001). K1-positive strains were usually resistant to phagocytic killing, whereas strains lacking the K1 capsule were more likely to be killed regardless of capsular type. Eighty-two percent of strains were typable with O-specific, 57% with K-specific, and 74% with H-specific antisera. Sixty percent of E coli were agglutinated by only 10 O-specific antisera. K1 was the most common capsular type, followed by K5, K2, and K12, whereas four H antigens accounted for nearly half of the H-typable strains. We conclude that (1) the combination of rough-specific and K1-specific phage sensitivity defines functionally similar groups of bacteria and (2) a polyvalent vaccine against invasive E coli is possible given the relatively limited number of invasive O:K:H serotypes. [TOP OF PAGE]

  14. Role of lipopolysaccharide in virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cryz, S.J.jr., Pitt, T.L., Furer, E., Germanier, R. (1984). Infect. Immun. 44:508-513. The role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied. The virulence of several P. aeruginosa strains for burned mice was found to be directly related to the dispersion of LPS into either the phenol or the water phase after extraction. Virulence decreased as the proportion of LPS recovered from the phenol phase increased. No similar correlation was observed when several other strain characteristics were investigated. This phenomenon was studied in greater detail by using the "smooth"-specific phage E79 to select mutants altered in LPS structure. One such mutant, PA220-R2, was extensively characterized. LPS isolated from PA220-R2 was found to be completely deficient in high-molecular-weight polysaccharide material. This alteration rendered the strain serum sensitive and dramatically changed the reaction with O-specific typing sera and sensitivity to typing phages. However, motility, toxin A and elastase production, and 22 metabolic functions remained unchanged. PA220-R2 was found to be comparatively nonvirulent, with a 50% lethal dose more than 1,000-fold higher than that of its parent for burned mice. This was due to the inability of PA220-R2 to establish an infection in burned skin. [TOP OF PAGE]

  15. THE USE OF PATHOVAR-INDICATIVE BACTERIOPHAGES FOR RAPIDLY DETECTING PSEUDOMONAS-SYRINGAE PATHOVAR TOMATO IN TOMATO LEAF AND FRUIT LESIONS. Cuppels, D.A. (1984). Phytopathology 74:891-894. The use of pathovar-indicative bacteriophages for rapidly detecting Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato in tomato leaf and fruit lesions.A suspension of macerated tomato leaf or fruit lesions was added to molten nutrient broth yeast extract (NBY) soft agar and the soft agar was poured over the surface of an NBY agar plate. Once the agar had hardened the routine test dilutions (RTD) of 4 P. syringae pv. [pathover] tomato-indicative (PT phages) were spotted onto the agar surface. Phage lysis zones indicating the presence of P. syringae pv. tomato [the causal agent of tomato bacterial speck] appeared within 18-36 h. A minimum of about 8 .times. 104 colony-forming units (cfu) of P. syringae pv. tomato per lesion was required for clear zones to appear. Lesions on leaves inoculated with strain DCT6D1 contained an average of 2.9 .times. 106 cfu 8 days after inoculation. P. syringae pv. tomato DCT6D1 was detected by the PT phage test at 43 days after inoculation. Thirty-eight tomato fields and five fresh-produce markets were surveyed for the bacterial speck pathogen by the PT phage method of detection and by the isolation-physiological characterization (IPC) method. Identical results were obtained with both methods for all 34 leaf samples and 68 of 100 fruit samples. Thirty of the fruit samples were positive by the IPC method only. The PT phage test was a better detection method for leaf lesions than for fruit lesions. All 77 isolates of P. syringae pv. tomato obtained from the tomato fields were sensitive to the PT phages and pathogenic for tomato. The predominant bacteria in fruit lesions negative for P. syringae pv. tomato were identified as saprophytic fluorescent pseudomonads. [TOP OF PAGE]

  16. Bacteriophages of dairy lactic acid bacteria. Davies, F.L., Gasson, M.J. (1984). pp. 127-151. In In Davies, F.L. and Law, B.A. (eds.), Advances in the Microbiology and Biochemistry of Cheese and Fermented Milk. Elsevier, New York. [TOP OF PAGE]

  17. Isolation and characterization of two bacteriophages of a stem-nodulation Rhizobium strain from Sesbania rostrata. De Lajudie, P., Bogusz, D. (1984). Can. J. Microbiol. 30:521-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  18. A TECHNIQUE FOR THE DETECTION OF XANTHOMONAS-CAMPESTRIS PATHOVAR ORYZAE USING BACTERIO PHAGE. DI, Y., CHU, J.Z., CHOU, S.R., SANG, X., X, FAN, C.T. (1984). Seed Science and Technology 11:579-582. [TOP OF PAGE]

  19. Isolation of two bacteriophages from Bacillus larvae, PBL1 and PBL0.5, and partial characterization of PBL1. Dingman, D.W., Bakhiet, N., Field, C.C., Stahly, D.P. (1984). J. Gen. Virol. 65 ( Pt 6):1101-1105. Two temperate bacteriophages have been isolated from Bacillus larvae: PBL1 and PBL0 .5. Strains lysogenic for either of these phages are immune to lysis by the same phage but are sensitive to the other phage. PBL1 has an oval head, a non-contractile tail, and a base plate with a pin structure but no apparent tail fibres. The genome of PBL1 consists of double-stranded DNA with a molecular weight of 24.1 (+/-0.6) X 10(6), a G + C content (derived from melting temperature) of 41.5%, and cohesive ends. Restriction enzyme analysis permitted construction of a physical map of the genome. [TOP OF PAGE]

  20. Attack of the phages. Dixon, B. (1984). Science 84 , 66-69. [TOP OF PAGE]

  21. BACTERIO PHAGE CONCENTRATION FROM WATER BY FILTER CHROMATOGRAPHY. Farber, F.E., Gradwohl, S.E., Sanford, P.B., Tobin, M.J., Lee, K.J., Gerba, C.P. (1984). Journal of Virological Methods 7:297-304. Bacteriophage concentration from water by filter chromatography.The efficiency of an electropositive filter for membrane chromatography of viruses was examined using coliform phages T1, T4, .lambda. and Salmonella phage P22. Phages diluted in dechlorinated tap water were adsorbed to filters at neutral pH and eluted by 3% beef extract in 0.05 M glycine buffer at selected alkaline pH values. With exception of .lambda. phage, which displayed erratic adsorption behavior at any pH, all bacteriophages studied, adsorbed to filters with an efficiency of 97-100% at pH values ranging between 6.0 and 8.0. Each phage was readily eluted at alkaline pH levels. Maximum elution (86.2%) of T1 phage and .lambda. phage (79%) occurred at pH 10, while T4 and Salmonella phages were eluted most efficiently at pH 11 at values of 91.7 and 81.9%, respectively. The resolving power of the filter was such that individual phages within the same virus group (T1 and T4 phage) could be eluted at pH differing by only 1 unit. [TOP OF PAGE]

  22. Proliferation of Legionella pneumophila as an intracellular parasite of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. Fields, B.S., Shotts, E.J., Feeley, J.C., Gorman, G.W., Martin, W.T. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:467-471. In a series of experiments, we have determined that Legionella pneumophila will proliferate as an intracellular parasite of the ciliated holotrich Tetrahymena pyriformis in sterile tap water at 35 degrees C. After 7 days of incubation, serpentine chains of approximately 10(3) L. pneumophila cells were observed throughout the cytoplasm of the protozoan infected initially with 1 to 30 L. pneumophila cells. The overall L. pneumophila population increased from ca. 1.0 X 10(2) to ca. 5.0 X 10(4) cells per ml in the coculture within this time frame. The interactions between the protozoan and the bacterium appear to depend upon their concentrations as well as temperature of incubation. L. pneumophila did not multiply in sterile tap water alone, in suspensions of lysed T. pyriformis, or in cell-free filtrates of a T. pyriformis culture. In addition to establishing an ecological model, we found that addition of T. pyriformis to environmental specimens served as an enrichment method that improved isolation of legionella from the specimens. [TOP OF PAGE]

  23. Interactions of bacteriophage and host macromolecules in the growth of bacteriohpage l. Friedman, D.I., Olson, E.R., Georgopoulos, C., Tilly, K., Hershowitz, I., Banuett, F. (1984). Microbiol. Rev. 48:299-325. [TOP OF PAGE]

  24. Microorganisms as groundwater tracers. Gerba, C.P. (1984). pp. 225-234. In In Bitton, G. and Gerba, C.P. (eds.), Groundwater Pollution Microbiology. Wiley-Interscience, New York. [TOP OF PAGE]

  25. Evaluation of coliphages as indicators of the virological quality of sewage-polluted water. Grabow, W.O.K., Coubrough, P., Nupen, E.M., Bateman, B.W. (1984). Water SA 10:7-14. Coliphage counts obtained by plaque assays using Escherichia coli strains C603, K12 Hfr or B as hosts at 37 &#176 C or 25 &#176 C, were compared in tests on water of different quality and origin. Strain C603 at 37 &#176 C yielded the highest counts, and was used in assays to compare numbers of coliphages with those of enteric viruses, standard plate counts, total and faecal coliform bacteria, faecal streptococci and acid-fast bacteria in wastwater, river and dam water, and treated drinking-water supplies. Coliphages generally outnumberd enteric viruses by a factor of 1000 or more. Ratios of average counts of coliphages to those of other organisms tended to fluctuate, but showed that coliphage counts could give a useful estimate of numbers of other micro-organisms in sewage-polluted water. Evidence is presented that, even though counts of coliphages may not always directly correlate with those of indicator viruses, coliphages meet the basic requirements of an indicator for the virological safety of water, and that coliphage assays in combination with the standard plate cound and counts of coliform and acid-fast bacteria, offer a practical and reliable indicator system for evaluating the virological safety of treated drinking-water supplies, even in the case of drinking-water directly reclaimed from wastewater. [TOP OF PAGE]

  26. The use of a lytic bacteriophage to remove Rhizobium trifolii from protoplast culture of Trifolium repens. Graves, D.A., Beck, R.W. (1984). Plant Sci. Lett. 34:385-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  27. Psychrotropic bacteriophages for beef spoilage bacteria. Greer, G.G. (1984). J. Food Prot. 47:822 [TOP OF PAGE]

  28. A method for the enumeration of male-specific bacteriophages in sewage. Havelaar, A.H., Hogeboom, W.M. (1984). J. Appl. Bacteriol. 56:439-447. [TOP OF PAGE]

  29. F-specific RNA bacteriophages in sewage: Methodology and occurence. Havelaar, A.H., Hogeboom, W.M., Pot, R. (1984). Water Sci. Technol. 17:645-655. [TOP OF PAGE]

  30. Interaction of phage, host, and environmental factors in governing the l lysis-lysogeny decision. Herskowitz, I., Banuett, F. (1984). pp. 59-73. In In Chopra, V.L., Joshi, B.C., Sharma, R.P., and Bansal, H.C. (eds.), Proceedings of the XV International Congress of Genetics. Oxford and I.B.H., New Delhi, [TOP OF PAGE]

  31. The origin and phylogeny of the bdellovibrios. Hespell, R.B., Paster, B.J., Macke, T.J., Woese, C.R. (1984). Syst. Appl. Microbiol. 5:196-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  32. ??? Husimi, Y., Shibata, K. (1984). Journal of the Physical Society of Japan 53:3712-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  33. ??? Ida, S. (1984). Virology 134:142-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  34. Study of "target patterns" in a phage-bacterium system. Ivanitsky, G.R., Kunisky, A.S., Tzyganov, M.A. (1984). pp. 214-217. In In Krinsky, V.I. (ed.), Self Organization: Autowaves and structures far from equilibrium. Proceedings of the international symposium held in Pushchino, July 18--23, 1983. Springer Verlag, Berlin-New York. [TOP OF PAGE]

  35. Differentiation of lactic strococcal phages into phage species by DNA-DNA homology. Jarvis, A.W. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:343-349. [TOP OF PAGE]

  36. DNA-DNA homology between lactic streptococci and their temperate and lytic phages. Jarvis, A.W. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:1031-1038. [TOP OF PAGE]

  37. Recovery of coliphages from chicken, pork sausage and delicatessen meats. Kennedy, J.E., Jr., Oblinger, J.L., Bitton, G. (1984). J. Food Prot. 47:623-626. [TOP OF PAGE]

  38. Interactions of bacteriophages with lactic streptococci. Klaenhammer, T.R. (1984). Adv. Appl. Microbiol. 30:1-29. [TOP OF PAGE]

  39. EFFECT OF TOXICANTS ON UV SURVIVAL OF CYANO PHAGE HOST VIRUS SYSTEMS. KRAUS, M.P. (1984). PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY 39:97S [TOP OF PAGE]

  40. New finding of a titrable infectious zoochlorella virus. Kvitko, K., Gromov, B.V. (1984). Dokl. Akad. Nauk S. S. S. R. 279:998-999. [TOP OF PAGE]

  41. Two-step resistance by Escherichia coli B to bacteriophage T2. Lenski, R.E. (1984). Genetics 107:1-7. [TOP OF PAGE]

  42. Coevolution of bacteria and phage: Are there endless cycles of bacterial defences and phage counterdefences? Lenski, R.E. (1984). J. Theor. Biol. 108:319-325. The assertion that the coevolution of bacteria and bacteriophage leads to an endless arms race between resistant bacterial mutants and corresponding host-range phage mutants is questioned. In general, structural constraints on the highly site-specific phage adsorption process appear more severe than physiological constraints on resource assimilation by bacteria. Several alternative hypotheses are presented that could account for the persistance of pahge, despite this fundamental asymmetry in the coevolution potential of bacteria and phage. [TOP OF PAGE]

  43. [Determination of virucidal activity. Value of the bacteriophage as a viral model]. Lepage, C., Romond, C. (1984). PATHOLOGIE BIOLOGIE 32:631-635. Virucidal activity of six disinfectants was determined in vitro against bacteriophages T2, MS2 and phiX 174. The preliminary study shows the simplifications resulting from the use of bacteriophages for this kind of test: easy and reproducible production of stores of bacteriophages with controlled purity, good stability and concentration of at least 10(7) PFU/ml, and no limitation due to cytotoxicity. Virucidal concentrations determined for a 15-minute contact are 31.2 ppm (active chlorine) for hypochlorite solution, 10 ppm (iodine) for an iodophor, 1% for formaline, 0.5% for glutaraldehyde, more than 0.3% for a quaternary ammonium salt and more than 3% for an amphotere. The proposed method gives practical information for decontamination in bio-industry. Given the resistance noted with bacteriophages, this experimental method could be applied in a more general setting. [TOP OF PAGE]

  44. The Population Biology of Male-Specific Bacteriophage: Existance Conditions. Lerner, F. (1984). University of Massachusetts. [TOP OF PAGE]

  45. Effects of pesticides on cyanobacterium Plectorema boryanum and cyanophage LPP-1. Mallison, S.M.I., Cannon, R.E. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:910-914. [TOP OF PAGE]

  46. ??? Matushkin, Y.G., Rodin, S.N., Ratner, V.A. (1984). Zhurnal Obshchei Biologii ???:???-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  47. Conjugative 40-megadalton plasmid in Streptococcus lactis subsp. diacetylactis DRC3 is associated with resistance to nisin and bacteriophage. McKay, L.L., Baldwin, K.A. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:68-74. Streptococcus lactis subsp. diacetylactis DRC3 was examined for plasmid DNA and found to contain a previously unreported plasmid of 40 X 10(6) daltons. This plasmid, designated pNP40, was conjugally transferred to a plasmid-cured derivative of S. lactis C2. Transconjugants containing pNP40 acquired resistance to nisin produced by strains of S. lactis and to commercially available nisin when assay plates were incubated at 21, 32, and 37 degrees C. In addition, c2 phage growth was completely restricted in transconjugants containing pNP40 at 21 and 32 degrees C, but not at 37 degrees C. This result suggests that pNP40 may be coding for a temperature-sensitive enzyme that restricts phage growth at 21 and 32 degrees C, but not at 37 degrees C. Eight consecutive transfers of a transconjugant containing pNP40 in Elliker broth at 37 degrees C resulted in 100% loss of resistance to c2 phage when colonies were tested at 32 degrees C. These phage-sensitive isolates had lost pNP40 and had also become sensitive to nisin. This result suggests that pNP40 may also be thermosensitive in its replication. The finding of a phage resistance determinant located on a conjugative plasmid should prove useful in constructing phage-resistant variants for dairy fermentation processes. [TOP OF PAGE]

  48. Mucoid conversion by phages of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from patients with cystic fibrosis. Miller, R.V., Renta Rubero, J.R. (1984). J. Clin. Microbiol. 19:717-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  49. Escherichia coli K-12 outer membrane protein (OmpA) as a bacteriophage receptor: analysis of mutant genes expressing altered proteins. Morona, R., Klose, M., Henning, U. (1984). J. Bacteriol. 159:570-578. The outer membrane protein OmpA of Escherichia coli K-12 serves as a receptor for a number of T-even-like phages. We have isolated a series of ompA mutants which are resistant to such phages but which still produce the OmpA protein. None of the mutants was able to either irreversibly or reversibly bind the phage with which they had been selected. Also, the OmpA protein is required for the action of colicins K and L and for the stabilization of mating aggregates in conjugation. Conjugal proficiency was unaltered in all cases. Various degrees of colicin resistance was found; however, the resistance pattern did not correlate with the phage resistance pattern. DNA sequence analyses revealed that, in the mutants, the 325-residue OmpA protein had suffered the following alterations: Gly-65----Asp, Gly-65----Arg, Glu-68----Gly, Glu-68----Lys (two isolates), Gly-70----Asp (four isolates), Gly-70----Val, Ala-Asp-Thr-Lys-107----Ala-Lys (caused by a 6-base-pair deletion), Val-110----Asp, and Gly-154----Ser. These mutants exhibited a complex pattern of resistance-sensitivity to 14 different OmpA-specific phages, suggesting that they recognize different areas of the protein. In addition to the three clusters of mutational alterations around residues 68, 110, and 154, a site around residue 25 has been predicted to be involved in conjugation and in binding of a phage and a bacteriocin (R. Freudl, and S. T. Cole, Eur. J. Biochem, 134:497-502, 1983; G. Braun and S. T. Cole, Mol. Gen. Genet, in press). These four areas are regularly spaced, being about 40 residues apart from each other. A model is suggested in which the OmpA polypeptide repeatedly traverses the outer membrane in cross-beta structure, exposing the four areas to the outside. [TOP OF PAGE]

  50. Host range mutants of bacteriophage Ox2 can use two different outer membrane proteins of Escherichia coli K-12 as receptors. Morona, R., Henning, U. (1984). J. Bacteriol. 159:724-730. [TOP OF PAGE]

  51. Transduction of Myxococcus virescens by coliphage P1CM: generation of plasmids containing both phage and Myxococcus genes. Morris, D.W., Ogden-Swift, S.R., Virrankoski-Castrodeza, V., Ainley, K., Parish, J.H. (1984). Journal of General Microbiology 107:73-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  52. Effect of infection of a bacteriophage in a starter culture during the production of salami dry sausage, a model study. Nes, I.F., Sorheim, O. (1984). J. Food Sci. 49:337-340. [TOP OF PAGE]

  53. Shiga-like toxin-converting phages from Escherichia coli that cause hemorrhagic colitis or infantile diarrhea. O'Brien, A., Newland, J.W., Miller, S.F., Holmes, R.K., Smith, H.W., Formal, S.B. (1984). Science 226:694-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  54. BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BACTERIOPHAGES OF CITROBACTER-FREUNDII. PAN, R., Wang, J., HE, X. (1984). Weishengwu Xuebao 24:142-148. Biological characteristics of the bacteriophages of Citrobacter freundii.Fifty-one strains of C. freundii bacteriophages can be divided into 6 serogroups and 11 serotypes by serological neutralization assay. Thirteen phage strains belong to 3 lyso-pattern groups in the genus by their serological assay. They also can be classified to 3 groups by their morphological observation by EM, 1 step growth experiment, plaque morphology, heat inactivation, effect of pH and sodium citrate test. Group I includes 2 phages, having a hexangular head with axial symmetry, 55-60 nm in diameter and a flexible tail, 140 nm long. This group belongs to 2 serogroups, i.e. A and B, and is included in the family Styloviridae. Some relatedness between these 2 serogroups was also revealed. Their latant period and burst size were assayed by a 1 step growth experiment to be 12 min and 26-27, respectively. The large plaque forming phages are sensitive to heat and pH treatment at pH 3, but stable in 2% sodium citrate. Their lysopatterns includes .vphi. I in Citrobacter. Group II includes 4 phages, having a protruding hexangular head, 110 .times. 80 nm in size, with a contractible complex tail, 130 nm long. This group belongs to Myoviridae, serogroup C, their latent period and burst size being 23-26 min. and 10-35, respectively. The small plaque-forming phages are sensitive to heat and not very sensitive to pH 3 treatment, but stable in 2% sodium citrate. Their lyso-patterns includes .vphi.I, .vphi.II, and .vphi.III in the genus Citobacter, respectively. Group II includes 3 phages, having a hexangular head, 65-80 nm in diameter with a contractile complex tail, 115-125 nm long. These phages belong to serogroups D, E and F, respectively, and might be included in the family Myoviridae. Less relatedness appeared between these serogroups. Their latent period and burst size are 19-26 min and 32-104, respectively. These phages form small plaques. But plaques of middle size are formed by strain 75 in this group with different latent period (16 min) and burst size (112). They are not sensitive to heat, except strain 65, but sensitive to pH 3 and 2% sodium citrate treatments. Their lyso-patterns are included in .vphi.II and .vphi.III. [TOP OF PAGE]

  55. ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIO PHAGES ACTIVE AGAINST STRAINS OF RHIZOBIUM-TRIFOLII USED IN LEGUME INOCULANTS IN NEW-ZEALAND. Patel, J.J., CRAIG, A.S. (1984). New Zealand Journal of Science 27:81-86. Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages active against strains of Rhizobium trifolii used in legume inoculants in New Zealand.Bacteriophages active against strains of R. trifolii used in the manufacture of clover inoculants in New Zealand were isolated from all of 5 sampling sites in a well-established clover-ryegrass pasture. Although field isolates of R. trifolii obtained from the same pasture showed differing degrees of susceptibility to these phages, none were completely resistant. Of the 14 phage isolates, 13 were morphologically indistinguishable and had comparable host ranges. The other phage had a distinctive morphology and a very restricted host range. [TOP OF PAGE]

  56. EVOLUTION OF THE BACTERIO PHAGE POPULATION IN SOIL OF CHERRY ORCHARDS INFECTED OR NOT BY PSEUDOMONAS-SYRINGAE PATHOVAR MORSPRUNORUM. PIRLOT, B., LAROCHE, M., VERHOYEN, M. (1984). Mededelingen van de Faculteit Landbouwwetenschappen Universiteit Gent 48:655-662. [TOP OF PAGE]

  57. INHIBITION OF XANTHOMONAS-CAMPESTRIS PATHOVAR PRUNI BY BACTERIA AND PRUNIPHAGE ON DETACHED PEACH LEAVES. RANDHAWA, P.S., Civerolo, E.L. (1984). Phytopathology 74:864 [TOP OF PAGE]

  58. Coevolution of directly contacting proteins in phage-bacterium ecosystem: Possibility or fiction? Ratner, V.A., Rodin, S.N. (1984). J. Theor. Biol. 108:405-411. The possibility of phage and bacterium coevolution at the level of directly contacting proteins is considered. The arguments are presented that a deterministic approach is quite legitimate in theoretical descriptions of the main features of the process. [TOP OF PAGE]

  59. DNA sequence heterogeneity in the genes of T-even type Escherichia coli phages encoding the receptor recognizing protein of the long tail fibers. Riede, I., Eschbach, M.-L., Henning, U. (1984). Mol. Gen. Genet. 195:144-152. [TOP OF PAGE]

  60. ISOLATION AND MORPHOLOGY OF BACTERIO PHAGES OF KURTHIA-ZOPFII. Rocourt, J., Ackermann, H.-W., Brault, J. (1984). Annales de Virologie (Paris) 134:557-568. Isolation and morphology of bacteriophages of Kurthia zopfii.Seven bacteriophages from K. zopfit were isolated from meat samples. The phages were morphologically identical, belonged to the pedoviridae family and resembled Bacillus phage GA-1. [TOP OF PAGE]

  61. ??? Rodin, S.N., Matushkin, Y.G., Ratner, V.A. (1984). Zhurnal Obshchei Biologii ???:???-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  62. Non-phage inhibition of group N streptococci in milk. 1. The incidence of inhibition in bulk milk. Roginski, H., Broome, M.C., Hickey, M.W. (1984). Aust. J. Dairy Technol. 39:23-27. [TOP OF PAGE]

  63. Non-phage inhibition of group N streptococci in milk. 2. The effects of some inhibitory compounds. Roginski, H., Broome, M.C., Hungerford, D., Hickey, M.W. (1984). Aust. J. Dairy Technol. 39:28-32. [TOP OF PAGE]

  64. Abnormal motility and fruiting behavior of Myxococcus xanthus bacteriophage-resistant strains induced by a clear-plaque mutant of bacteriophage Mx8. Ruiz-Vazquez, R., Murillo, F.J. (1984). J. Bacteriol. 160:818-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  65. [Bacteriophages and phage therapy in pediatric practice]. [Review] [21 refs] [Russian]. Samsygina, G.A., Boni, E.G. (1984). Pediatriia 67-70. [TOP OF PAGE]

  66. Phage resistant in a phage-insensitive strain of Streptococcus lactis: Temperature-dependent phage development and host-controlled phage replication. Sanders, M.E., Klaenhammer, T.R. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:979-985. [TOP OF PAGE]

  67. Morphological and genetic characterization of a bacteriophage-resistant Bacillus subtilis macrofiber-producing strain. Saxe, C.L., Mendelson, N.H. (1984). J. Bacteriol. 157:109-114. Bacillus subtilis C6 phi R4 is an SPO1-resistant derivative of strain C6D, a left-hand macrofiber-producing strain described previously (N. H. Mendelson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75:2478-2482, 1978). In addition to the phage resistance property, strain C6 phi R4 differs from its parent in macrofiber organization and formation of aggregates in liquid shake cultures. The phage resistance mutation was located in the gtaC gene. The macrofiber organization and aggregation phenotypes also appear to be controlled by the gtaC locus. Strains constructed by introduction of the gtaC mutation into C6D appear to be identical to the original C6 phi R4 strain in all phenotypic properties. In contrast, other constructs carrying either gtaA or gtaB that are resistant to SPO1 do not display the characteristic C6 phi R4 morphological phenotypes. [TOP OF PAGE]

  68. Integration of plasmid pFHL into phage genomes during infection of Halobacterium halobium R1-L with phage FHL1. Schnabel, H. (1984). Molecular and General Genetics 197:19-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  69. BACILLUS-POLYMYXA BACTERIO PHAGES FROM BRAZILIAN SOILS. Seldin, L., VAN ELSAS, J., PENIDO, E.G.C. (1984). ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY 50:39-52. Bacillus polymyxa bacteriophages from Brazilian soils.Ten phages of B. polymyxa were isolated from 4 different Brazilian soils. All were double-stranded DNA-containing phages belonging to Bradley types A and B. EM and tests of resistance against physical and chemical agents showed that the isolates could be distributed among 6 different groups. Host range data were in agreement with this classification. When tested against 88 strains of 18 Bacillus spp., these phages only infected B. polymyxa strains, thus revealing specificity for this species. Three phage groups lysed all 42 available B. polymyxa strains and are suggested for use in rapid identification of this species. [TOP OF PAGE]

  70. Selection pressures on codon usage in the complete genome of bacteriophage T7. Sharp, P.M., McConnell, D.J., Rogers, M.S. (1984). J. Mol. Evol. 21:150-160. [TOP OF PAGE]

  71. PHENOTYPIC MIXING OF PYOCIN R-2 AND BACTERIO PHAGE PS-17 IN PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA PAO. Shinomiya, T. (1984). J. Virol. 49:310-314. Phenotypic mixing of pyocin R2 and bacteriophage PS17 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO.Previous results indicate that a group of bacteriocins in P. aeruginosa, named R-type pyocins, have a structure resembling bacteriophage tails and share some serological homology with certain bacteriophages. This paper presents genetic evidence which strongly suggests that components of pyocin R2, an R-type pyocin of P. aeruginosa PAO, and tail components of bacteriophage PS17 are interchangeable. Complementation tests with pyocin R2-deficient mutants of PAO and ts mutants of PS17 revealed that various phenotypic interactions occur between the pyocin and bacteriophage in PAO cells lysogenized or infected with PS17. Certain pyocin R2-deficient mutations were phenotypically suppressed in cells carrying PS17 prophage. A temperature-sensitive mutant of PS17, tsQ31, was phenotypically suppressed in PAO cells treated with mitomycin C. Phenotypically mixed phages with receptor and serological specificities of pyocin R2 were formed in PS17 lysogens of certain pyocin R2-deficient mutants. [TOP OF PAGE]

  72. Results of bacteriophage treatment of suppurative bacterial infections. III. Detailed evaluation of the results obtained in further 150 cases. Slopek, S., Durlakowa, I., Weber-Dabrowska, B., Dabrowski, M., Kucharewicz-Krukowska, A. (1984). Archivum Immunologii et Therapiae Experimentalis 32:317-335. The results of phage therapy applied in further 150 cases of suppurative bacterial infections were analyzed. Positive therapeutic results were obtained in 137 cases (91.3%). The results obtained confirmed the previous findings on great effectiveness of bacteriophages in the treatment of septic infections, spontaneous or postoperative, caused by pyo genic Staphylococci, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Proteus and Pseudomonas. [TOP OF PAGE]

  73. The usefulness of phage typing Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Snider, D.E.Jr., Jones, W.D., Good, R.C. (1984). Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 130:1095-1099. [TOP OF PAGE]

  74. SPONTANEOUSLY DEVELOPED MIXED-STRAIN CHEESE STARTERS THEIR BEHAVIOR TOWARDS PHAGES AND THEIR USE IN THE DUTCH CHEESE INDUSTRY. STADHOUDERS, J., LEENDERS, G.J.M. (1984). Netherlands Milk and Dairy Journal 38:157-182. Spontaneously developed mixed-strain cheese starters: Their behavior towards phages and their use in the Dutch cheese industry.About 10 yr ago the Dutch cheese industry used mixed-strain starters which were propagated in practice without any controlled protection against air-borne contamination with bacteriophages. These so-called P-starters have a certain phage resistance. It is shown in this paper that, when P-starters are transferred in the laboratory a great number of times without phage contamination, they become sensitive to phages. This phenomenon is due to the domination of 1 strain or of a small number of strains in these so-called L-starters. Two mechanisms of phage resistance of P-starters are studied. Most P-starters contain a fairly large phage-resistant flora of .apprx. 108 N-streptococci/ml of fully grown culture. Due to this relatively high number of resistant strains, a rapid shift from a main flora of sensitive strains to a main flora of resistant ones occurs when homologous phages from the outside (disturbing phages) contaminate the starter. Within a normal incubation time of 22-24 h at 20.degree. C, the P-starter will recover its activity, completely or partly. The number, and particularly the variety, of disturbing phages determines how far the remaining strains can regain their original activity. In contrast with P-starters, single-strain starters usually contain < 104/ml variants that are resistant to the homologous phage. The recovery capacity and therefore the phage resistance is then low, and a complete failure of the starter is possible. The behavior of an L-starter contaminated with homologous phages will be approximately the same as that of a single-strain starter. A minority of P-starters show another mechanism of phage resistance. They appear to consist of a main flora of fast bacteria on which slowly growing phages develop, and a minor flora of bacteria resistant to these phages. These bacteria protect the sensitive ones by limiting the growth of the phages. Apparently, the bacteria on which the slowly growing phages develop do not evoke disturbing phages, and the minor flora of resistant bacteria does not easily evoke disturbing phages. In The Netherlands a system has been developed in which P-starters are kept in frozen condition, and that at the Netherlands Institute for Dairy Research starter concentrates are made with a minimum of transfers. These starter concentrates are distributed in a frozen condition to the factories where they are used to prepare the bulk starter. To guarantee a constant and rapid acid production in the young cheese, the dairies protect their bulk starters against disturbing phages by the use of special equipment. Measures are also taken to prevent the growth and accumulation of phages during prolonged cheese-making. [TOP OF PAGE]

  75. Coliphages as indicators of enteroviruses. Stetler, R.E. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 668-670. [TOP OF PAGE]

  76. Isolation of Yersinia ruckeri bacteriophages. Stevenson, R.M.W., Airdrie, D.W. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:1201-1205. Eight bacteriophages effective against Yersinia ruckeri , the enteric redmouth disease bacterium, were isolated. Phage YerA41, a tailed icosahedral virus isolated from sewage enrichments, lysed 34 of 35 strains of Y. ruckeri serovar I, but was inactive against 15 strains belonging to three other serological groups. Six other phages lysed strains of serovars II, V, and I', a subgroup of serovar I. YerL62, a phage obtained by mitomycin C induction, was specific for one of three serovar V strains. These bacteriophages, particularly YerA41, have potential value for fish disease diagnostic work. [TOP OF PAGE]

  77. The population biology of bacterial viruses: Why be temperate. Stewart, F.M., Levin, B.R. (1984). Theor. Pop. Biol. 26:93-117. A model of the interaction between populations of temerate and virulent bacteriophage with sensitive, lysogenic, and resistant bacteria is presented. In the analysis of the properties of this model, particular consideration is given to the conditions under which temperate bacteriophage can become established and will be maintained in bacterial populations. The effects of the presence of resistant bacteria and virulent phage on these "existence" conditions for temperate viruses are considered. It is demonstrted that under broad conditions temperate phage will be maintained in bacterial populations and will coexist with virulent phage. Extrapolating from this formal consideration of the population biology of temperate bacteriophage, a number of hypotheses for the conditions under which temperate, rather than virulent, modes of phage reproduction are to be anticipated and the nature of the selective pressures leading to the evolution and persistence of this "benign" type of bacterial virus are reviewed and critically evalulated. Two hypothesesfor the "advantage of temperance" are championed. (1) As a consequence of the allelopathic effects of diffusing phages, in physically structured habitats, lysogenic colonies are able to sequester resources and, in that way, have an advantage when competing with sensitive nonlysogens. (2) Lysogeny is an adaptation for phage to maintain their populations in "hard times," when the host bacterial density oscillates below that necessary for phage to be maintained by lytic infection alone. [TOP OF PAGE]

  78. Effect of bacteriophage on the activity of lactic acid starter cultures used in the production of fermented sausage. Trevors, K.E., Holley, R.A., Kempton, A.G. (1984). J. Food Sci. 49:650-653. [TOP OF PAGE]

  79. Survey of drug and phage resistance and colicin and hemolysin production among coliforms isolated in the Ivory Coast. Trudel, L., Arriaga-Alba, M., Lavoie, M.C. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 48:905-907. Analysis of 178 strains isolated as total and fecal coliforms in the Ivory Coast revealed that (i) hemolytic activity was scarce (0.6%) among this bacterial population; (ii) the most prevalent colicins detected were, in decreasing order, E, I, A, and G; (iii) the frequency of coliphage and drug resistance was similar to that observed in other countries, except for those of drug-resistant strains in animal feces, which were lower than in countries where animals are antibiotic fed; and (iv) one of the drug resistance plasmids seemed to possess a restriction-modification system and another seemed to code for capsular material. [TOP OF PAGE]

  80. Bacteriophages of methanotrophous and gas-oxidising bacteria isolated from fish intestines. Tyutikov, F.M., Yesipova, V.V., Rebentish, B.A., Bespalova, I.A., Alexandrushkina, N.I., Galchenko, V.F., Tikhonenko, A.S. (1984). Mikrobiologiya. 53:645-650. Bacteriophages 63 and ChMF-1-P that induce lysis of the methanotrophous bacterium Methylocystis sp. 63 and the facultative gas-oxidising bacterium Flavobacterium gasotypicum ChMF-1, respectively, have been isolated from fish intestines. The phages differ in the fine structure of virions, the morphology of negative colonies, the spectrum of lytic action, the susceptibility to UV, and the serological characeristics. The parameters of one-step growth are similar for the phages; the latent period is 5 h, the period of lysis is 3-4 h, and the yield of phage particles is 234-241 per cell. The phages have double-stranded DNA of the GC type with usual nitrogen bases. The molecular mass of phage 63 DNA is 28 MD, that of phage ChMF-1-P DNA is 31 MD. Bacteriophage 63 is a new species whereas phage ChMF-1-P is related to phage ChMF-1. [TOP OF PAGE]

  81. Impedance measurements to detect bacteriophage problems in cheddar cheesemaking. Waes, G.M., Bossuyt, R.G. (1984). J. Food Protect. 47:349-351. [TOP OF PAGE]

  82. Comparison of goose-type, chicken-type, and phage-type lysozymes illustrates the changes that occur in both amino acid sequence and three-dimensional structure during evolution. Weaver, L.H., Grutter, M.G., Remington, S.J. (1984). J. Mol. Evol. 21:97-111. [TOP OF PAGE]

  83. Large scale preparation of Rhizobium meliloti bacteriophages by fermenter culture. Werquin, M., Defives, C., Hassani, L., Andriantsimiavona-Otonia, M. (1984). Journal of Virological Methods 8:155-160. A simple method for preparation of Rhizobium meliloti bacteriophages was established employing fermenter culture. This technique allowed phage production to be checked by dissolved oxygen measure. Phage suspensions ranging from 5.10(12) to 1.2.10(13) PFU/ml were found after polyethylene glycol precipitation and centrifugation in CsCl. [TOP OF PAGE]

  84. Protein synthesis is required for in vivo activation of polysialic acid capsule synthesis in Escherichia coli K1. Whitfield, C., Vimr, E.R., Costerton, J.W., Troy, F.A. (1984). J. Bacteriol. 159:321-328. The kinetics of in vivo expression of the polysialosyl (K1) capsular antigen in Escherichia coli has been studied. Growth of E. coli K1 strains at 15 degrees C prevents K1 polysaccharide synthesis (F. A. Troy and M. A. McCloskey, J. Biol. Chem. 254:7377-7387, 1979). Synthesis is reactivated in cells grown at 15 degrees C after upshift to 37 degrees C. The early expression and resultant morphology of K1 capsular antigen was monitored in temperature upshift experiments by using electron microscopy. Morphological stabilization of the capsule was achieved by treatment of cells with an antiserum specific for the alpha, 2-8-linked polysialosyl antigen. The kinetics of K1 capsule expression in growing cells was measured by bacteriophage adsorption with phage K1F, which required the K1 capsule for binding. The results of temperature upshift experiments showed that capsule first appeared on the cell surface after 10 min. Subsequent bacteriophage binding increased linearly with time until a fully encapsulated state was reached 45 min after upshift. The initiation of K1 capsule appearance was dependent on protein synthesis and the addition of chloramphenicol before temperature upshift prevented any expression of the K1 antigen. Chloramphenicol reduced the rate of K1 synthesis when added after temperature upshift. We conclude from these results that protein synthesis is a prerequisite for activation of capsule expression in vivo, but not for subsequent elongation of polysialosyl chains. [TOP OF PAGE]

  85. Distribution of bdellovibrios in the water column of an estuary. Williams, H.N., Falkler, W.J. (1984). Canadian Journal of Microbiology 30:971-974. The distribution of bdellovibrios in the water column of the Miles River has been studied. Water samples were collected every 4 h over a 24-h period from five depths in the water column. The samples were cultured for the recovery of bdellovibrios lytic against Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Environmental parameters, i.e., salinity, temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured for each sample. Bdellovibrios were observed to be uniformly distributed at all depths measured in the water columns. There were no significant differences between the number of bdellovibrios recovered at the various depths. There were significant differences between the number of bdellovibrios recovered at various sampling times. However, no basis for these significant differences could be established. No association was found between the number of bdellovibrios recovered and the environmental parameters measured. Of interest was the observation that the distribution of the aerobic bdellovibrios did not correlate with DO measurements. The results suggest that neither depth nor DO content influenced the recovery of bdellovibrios from the Miles River. [TOP OF PAGE]

  86. Studies of the ecology of streptomycete phage in soil. Williams, S.T., Lanning, S. (1984). pp. 473-483. In In Ortiz-Ortiz, L., Bojalil, L.F., and Yakoleff, V. (eds.), Biological, Biochemical and Biomedical Aspects of Actinomycetes. Academic Press, London. [TOP OF PAGE]

  87. ??? Yates, M.B., Gerba, C.P., Kelley, L.M. (1984). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 49:778-??? [TOP OF PAGE]

  88. Nosocomial Clostridium difficile reservoir in a neonatal intensive care unit. Zedd, A.J., Sell, T.L., Schaberg, D.R., Fekety, F.R., Cooperstock, M.S. (1984). Pediatric Infectious Disease 3:429-432. A new bacteriophage/bacteriocin typing system was used to study Clostridium difficile colonization in a neonatal intensive care unit. C. difficile was isolated from 21 of 62 (34%) stools from 15 of 37 (41%) infants. Colonization was reduced during antimicrobial therapy and for about 1 week thereafter. One of five nurses and one of two parents studied were carriers. Eight isolates were cultured from environmental surfaces. Thirty of 31 C. difficile isolates were found to be a single type, Cld 6,9,10,13; bacteriocin 1320,1537,2304. No C. difficile was found in 29 specimens obtained in the delivery room from mothers and infants, and there was no association of early colonization with vaginal delivery. The data provide strong evidence for nosocomial acquisition of C. difficile by infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. No obvious pathologic role for C. difficile could be identified among colonized infants. Among 22 C. difficile isolates from 7 adult inpatients with diarrhea and 13 healthy infants attending the center's well baby clinic, 4 were the same type as the strain found in the intensive care nursery. Only one of these patients had had direct contact with the neonatal intensive care unit, indicating that the nursery strain may also be found elsewhere in the community. [TOP OF PAGE]

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