Factors affecting competence for transformation in Staphylococcus aureus

A chemically defined medium has been developed for isolation of amino acid-requiring mutants of Staphylococcus aureus strain 8325, and for use as a selective medium in transformation assays. Variables affecting transformation of both plasmid and chromosomal markers have been studied. The optimal pH and temperature for transformation are 6.75 to 7.0 and 30 C, respectively. Ca ions are required for transformation, and only cells lysogenic for the phage phi11 can be transformed. Superinfection of competent cells with phi11 does not increase the transformation frequency. Maximal number of transformants is obtained after 20 min of contact between cells and deoxyribonucleic acid. The transformation frequencies for the plasmid marker erythromycin resistance (ero) and the chromosomal markers trp, thy, and cyt are of the same order of magnitude, whereas the frequency for the chromosomal marker tyr is approximately one order of magnitude lower.

Genetic control of chromosomal and plasmid recombination in Staphylococcus aureus

Recombination-deficient mutants of Staphylococcus aureus have been isolated and found to have properties similar to those of recombination-deficient Escherichia coli. In addition, one Rec(-) mutant was found to be defective in the restriction and modification of DNA. There is a marked reduction ( approximately 10(4)-fold) in recombination between penicillinase plasmids in the Rec(-) mutants suggesting that these elements do not encode an efficient recombination system. There is, however, a demonstrable residuum of interplasmid recombination; evidence is lacking on whether this residuum is a plasmid or host function. In the absence of the generalized host recombination system it has been possible to demonstrate that interplasmid recombination occurs during vegetative bacteriophage growth and is presumably mediated by a phage-determined recombination system.

Epidemiological and biochemical studies on thiamine-less dwarf-colony variants of Staphylococcus aureus as etiological agents of bovine mastitis

Dwarf-colony (D) variants of Staphylococcus aureus are relatively widespread etiological agents of bovine mastitis in Israel. D strains grow on ordinary solid nutrient media with pinpoint, transparent colonies. An epidemiological study indicated that these variants are more communicable than normal (N) S. aureus strains. Biochemically, several types of metabolic defects have been demonstrated among the D strains: strains from one herd were pantothenate-less, most of the other isolates were thiamine-less, and a few of them were both thiamine-and pantothenate-less. Among the thiamineauxotrophs were a few (from one herd) which were unable to concentrate thiamine-thiazole, whereas all of the other strains required thiamine-pyrimidine (HMP) in the form of pyrophosphate (HMP-PP). At least some of these D strains were defective in three functions: concentrative uptake of HMP, phosphorylation of HMP, and phosphorylation of HMP-monophosphate. Since mutants with normal growth occurred readily, we assumed that the information for these three functions exists on a polycistronic operon. Quantitative requirements for HMP-PP varied highly among the D strains, and other data also indicated that HMP-PP-requiring strains had not developed from a common source.

Nature of the genetic determinant controlling exfoliative toxin production in Staphylococcus aureus

Phage group II Staphylococcus aureus has been identified as the etiological agent of the staphylococcal scaleded skin syndrome. The development of an animal model system permitted fulfillment of Koch's postulates and recognition of exfoliative toxin (ET) as being responsible for some of the clinical manifestations of this syndrome. Initial studies directed toward associating a lysogenic phage with the genetic control of ET synthesis failed to support this hypothesis. Growth of two Tox(+) strains at 44 C was more effective than growth in ethidium bromide or sodium dodecyl sulfate in eliminating the ability to produce ET. The early and rapid accumulation of ET-negative (Tox(-)) variants during growth of strain UT 0007 at 44 C, the lack of any selective advantage of the Tox(-) variants over Tox(+) cells during growth at 44 C, and an enhanced elimination frequency at 44 C of 97.9% over the spontaneous frequency of loss strongly suggest that the gene for ET synthesis is extrachromosomal. Additional evidence suggests that this gene is located on a plasmid which is not associated with genes for penicillinase synthesis and cadmium resistance. Two Tox(+) strains harbored lysogenic phage capable of transducing cadmium resistance, but not penicillin resistance, to specific Tox(-) recipients.