Shiga toxin 2-converting bacteriophages associated with clonal variability in Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains of human origin isolated from a single outbreak.

ABSTRACT: Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2)-converting bacteriophages induced from 49 strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated during a recent outbreak of enterocolitis in Spain were examined in an attempt to identify the variability due to the stx(2)-converting phages. The bacterial isolates were divided into low-, medium-, and high-phage-production groups on the basis of the number of phages released after mitomycin C induction. Low- and medium-phage-production isolates harbored two kinds of phages but released only one of them, whereas high-phage-production isolates harbored only one of the two phages. One of the phages, phi SC370, which was detected only in the isolates with two phages, showed similarities with phage 933W. The second phage, phi LC159, differed from phi SC370 in morphology and DNA structu

SUBMITTER: Muniesa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC166033 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature