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Spontaneous switching of the sucrose-promoted colony phenotype in Streptococcus sanguis
G Tardif1, M C Sulavik, G W Jones
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0402.
Infection and Immunity
|December 1, 1989
Abstract:
Streptococcus sanguis on media containing 3% sucrose gives rise to characteristic hard cohesive colonies (designated Spp+). Populations of Spp+ bacteria (strain Challis) on sucrose media switch to a soft noncohesive phenotype (designated Spp-) at a frequency of 10(-4) to 10(-3). Spp- bacteria switch back to Spp+ bacteria at a similar frequency. Successive rounds of Spp variation were observed. The Spp phenotypic switch was associated with changes in extracellular glucosyltransferase activity.