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Infection and Immunity, July 2003, p. 3782-3786, Vol. 71, No. 7
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.7.3782-3786.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

In Vivo Lysogenic Conversion of Tox- Streptococcus pyogenes to Tox+ with Lysogenic Streptococci or Free Phage

Thomas B. Broudy and Vincent A. Fischetti*

Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021

Received 22 January 2003/ Accepted 26 March 2003

Temperate bacteriophage can transfer toxin-encoding genes between bacteria, often resulting in acquired pathogenicity. However, little is known regarding the effects of the eukaryotic host on the phage-pathogen interaction. Using Streptococcus pyogenes as a model, we demonstrate, both in vitro and in vivo, that the eukaryote mediates the efficient induction of toxin-encoding temperate phage and the resultant conversion of Tox- flora to Tox+. Furthermore, we show that both phage induction and subsequent conversion need not happen in the same mammalian host, as host-to-host phage transmission can result in toxigenic conversion within the secondary host. Ultimately, our findings demonstrate that the eukaryotic host serves as an essential component in the phage-mediated evolution of virulence within the microbial population.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Box 172, Rockefeller University, 1230 York Ave., New York, NY 10021. Phone: (212) 327-8167. Fax: (212) 327-7584. E-mail: vaf{at}rockefeller.edu.

Editor: A. D. O'Brien

Infection and Immunity, July 2003, p. 3782-3786, Vol. 71, No. 7
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.7.3782-3786.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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