[Wide distribution of transposable phages in natural Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations]

Abstract

Five phages (PH2, PH51, PH59, PH93 and PH132) which have some characteristics common with D3112, the transposable phage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were isolated from clinical P. aeruginosa isolates. The phages were distributed into 4 different immunity groups. The basic criteria used for selection of transposable phages have been: 1) Morphology of a phage particle, host range, similar inactivation with antiserum; 2) Similar sizes of phage genomes; 3) The presence of a variable non-phage nucleotide sequences covalently linked to phage genome DNA, which could be identified using restriction endonucleases or by heteroduplex analyses. The DNAs of the new phages are resistant to treatment with BamH1 endonuclease, like the DNAs of phages D3112, B39 and B3 described earlier. The restriction maps of the phage genomes are constructed.