Isolation of a suppressor host bacterium in Staphylococcus aureus

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bacteriology
• Virology

Background:

• Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen.
• Studying bacteriophage genetics requires specific host strains.
• Lactose metabolism in bacteria involves the phosphoenol pyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate a suppressor host mutant of Staphylococcus aureus.
• To utilize the suppressor host for isolating conditional lethal mutants of bacteriophage O11.
• To investigate the applicability of this technique to other Staphylococcus strains.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of a one-step phenotypic revertant (sup1(+)) from a metabolically deficient Staphylococcus aureus strain.
• Use of the sup1(+) strain to isolate conditional lethal mutants of bacteriophage O11.
• Complementation studies to group the isolated phage mutants.

Main Results:

• A suppressor host mutant (sup1(+)) of Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 8325 was successfully isolated.
• Seventy conditional lethal mutants of bacteriophage O11 were obtained using the sup1(+) host.
• Phage mutants were assigned into 10 distinct groups based on complementation studies.

Conclusions:

• The isolated suppressor host mutant facilitates the study of bacteriophage O11.
• The developed technique for suppressor host isolation is likely transferable to other Staphylococcus species.
• This approach enhances the genetic analysis of bacteriophages in bacterial systems.