Evidence and characterization of temperate bacteriophage in Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus St18.

Lysogenic strains of Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus were studied using induction with mitomycin C (MC). The induction and presence of temperate phage were investigated carrying out tests on sensitive strains, electron microscopy and phage DNA analysis. Forty-five Str. salivarius subsp. thermophilus strains were subjected to induction with MC and growth of the various cultures was evaluated. Only one strain of those tested showed lysis after adding MC, thus indicating a possible lysogenic state, 0.5 micrograms MC/ml being the optimal dose. Two phi 18 phage-sensitive strains out of 45 were isolated in which this phage behaved as virulent, causing lysis of the culture in broth, but no lysis plaques on agar medium were detected. The St18 strain was cured by u.v. irradiation but no mutants sensitive to the phi 18 phage were found among the clones non-inducible by MC. The presence of phages having a hexagonal isometric head and a long non-contractile tail in the lysate obtained after inducing the St18 strain was confirmed by examination under the electron microscope. Study of the phage DNA showed a genome size of 40.9 +/- 0.5 kb without cohesive end fragments. In addition, the restriction map of the phage genome was constructed. This study has demonstrated lysogeny in Str. salivarius subsp. thermophilus and also that several phage infections of Str. salivarius subsp. thermophilus starters may have an 'endogenous' origin.