LYSOGENICITY OF METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STRAINS OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS

The lysogenic status of 23 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, isolated at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, since 1980, was studied. Twenty strains, belonging to the four predominant phage types isolated in this hospital, carried the same lysogenic phage which we have designated C. Three other phages were isolated from five strains belonging to phage type 84/85/90. The presence of phage C had little effect on the phage-typing pattern of the strains. Similarly, lysogenisation with the other three phages did not result in a significant change in phage-typing patterns. However, when strain 1489, isolated in 1969, was lysogenised with these three phages, there was a change in phage-typing pattern. Lysogenisation of this strain with phage 47T resulted in a marked loss of sensitivity to both group-I and group-III phages. The lysogenic status of these methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus was compared with that of strains isolated between 1967 and 1970. There was no evidence that the strains isolated recently were either related to, or derived from, the earlier ones.