Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-m42fx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-20T07:14:10.776Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Variation among strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae during an outbreak in a restricted environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

L. F. Gibson
L. F. Gibson
Affiliation:
Microbiological Diagnostic Unit, School of Microbiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated from a small outbreak in the restricted environment of a Mental Hospital were examined. All belonged to one serotype, but there was marked variation in diphthericin type, in sensitivity to bacteriophages and in the minor antigens possessed. One strain was non-virulent and laboratory-produced variants of this non-virulent strain showed changes in some of the characteristics used in the identification and typing of the organism, such as diphthericin type, sensitivity to bacteriophages and diphthericins, virulence, starch fermentation and, to a lesser extent, in antigenic structure. The epidemiological and experimental findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the strains isolated, both in the hospital and in the laboratory, were derivatives of a single parent and the mechanism of some of the variations could be related to changes in some structural component such as the cell membrane or the cell wall.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 71 , Issue 4 , December 1973 , pp. 691 - 699
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

References

REFERENCES

Bhattacharyya, P., Wendt, L., Whitney, E. & Silver, S. (1970). Colicin-tolerant mutants of Escherichia coli: resistance of membranes to colicin E 1. Science, New York 168, 998.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruickshank, R. (1965). Medical Microbiology, 11th ed., p. 181. Edinburgh and London: E. and S. Livingstone Ltd.Google Scholar
Ferris, A. A. (1950). Serological types of Corynebacterium diphtheriae in Australia. Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology 62, 165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gibson, L. F. & Colman, G. (1973). Diphthericin types, bacteriophage types and serotypes of Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains isolated in Australia. Journal of Hygiene 71, 679.Google ScholarPubMed
Gibson, L. F., Cooper, G. N., Saragea, A. & Maximescu, P. (1970). A bacteriological study of strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated in Victoria and New South Wales. Medical Journal of Australia i, 412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groman, N. B. & McCormick, K. (1961). Relation between adsorption of diphtheria phage and its inactivation by an oleic acid activated inhibiter. Journal of Bacteriology 81, 394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holland, I. B., Threlfall, E. J., Holland, E. M., Darby, V. & Samson, A. C. R. (1970). Mutants of Escherichia coli with altered surface properties which are refractory to colicin E2, sensitive to ultraviolet light and which can also show recombination deficiency, abortive growth to bacteriophage λ and filament formation. Journal of General Microbiology 62, 371.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holloway, B. W., Krishnapillai, V. & Stanisich, V. (1971). Pseudomonas genetics. Annual Review of Genetics 5, 425.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kato, M. (1970). Action of a toxic glycolipid of Corynebacterium diphtheriae on mitochondrial structure and function. Journal of Bacteriology 101, 709.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Onodera, K., Rolfe, B. & Bernstein, A. (1970). Demonstration of missing membrane proteins in deletion mutants of E. coli K12. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 39, 969.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uchida, T. & Yoneda, M. (1967). Evidence for the association of membrane with the site of toxin synthesis in Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Biochemica et biopysica acta 145, 210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, G. S. & Miles, A. A. (1964). Topley and Wilson's Principles of Bacteriology and Immunity, 5th ed., Vol. 1, p. 597. London: Edward Arnold Ltd.Google Scholar