Relationship of bacteriophages to alpha toxin production in Clostridium novyi types A and B

Abstract

The relationship of specific bacteriophages to the production of the lethal alpha toxin in Clostridium novyi types A and B was investigated. When type A strain 5771 reverted to the phage-sensitive state, it ceased to produce alpha toxin but continued to produce the gamma and epsilon antigens. This "nontoxigenic" culture, therefore, more closely resembled C. botulinum types C and D than the other C. novyi types. Phage-sensitive type B strains also ceased to produce the alpha toxin but continued to produce the beta toxin, and therefore very colesly resembled C. novyi type D (C. haemolyticum). Alpha toxin was again produced when the phage-sensitive cultures were reinfected with the respective tox+ phages. Alpha toxin production could also be induced in the "nontoxigenic" phage-sensitive derivatives from type B strain 8024 by tox+ phages isolated from other strains of type B. tox- phages were also isolated, but they did not affect alpha toxin production. The tox+ phages also caused a marked change in the colonial morphology of type B strains. In this report we present evidence that alpha toxin production by C. novyi type A strain 5771 and type B strain 8024 depends upon the continued presence and participation of specific bacteriophages designated as NA1tox+ and NB1tox+, respectively.