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Abstract
SUMMARY:Stocks of staphylococcal phage 47C (serological group A) contained some group B phage. This was found to have originated in a lysogenic staphylococcus previously used to propagate phage 47 C and which had subsequently lost its lysogenicity. The lysogenic phage was thus perpetuated in the phage stocks as a lytic phage. The characters of the two phages are described. When they lysogenized five different strains of staphylococci changes in typing pattern were produced. There was evidence which indicated that, in the prophage state, the two phages occupy different sites and that there is no cross-immunity between them. The propagation of the phages in different hosts resulted in changes in their host range. A virulent mutant of the B prophage was induced by the application of a variety of phages to the strain carrying it.
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