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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 6096-6103, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.6096-6103.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Detection and Characterization of Streptococcus thermophilus Bacteriophages by Use of the Antireceptor Gene Sequence

Ana G. Binetti,^1,2 Beatriz Del Río,¹ M. Cruz Martín,¹ and Miguel A. Álvarez^1*

Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA, CSIC), 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain,¹ Programa de Lactología Industrial, Facultad de Ingeniería Química (PROLAIN, UNL), 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina²

Received 2 March 2005/ Accepted 10 May 2005

In the dairy industry, the characterization of Streptococcus thermophilus phage types is very important for the selection and use of efficient starter cultures. The aim of this study was to develop a characterization system useful in phage control programs in dairy plants. A comparative study of phages of different origins was initially performed based on their morphology, DNA restriction profiles, DNA homology, structural proteins, packaging mechanisms, and lifestyles and on the presence of a highly conserved DNA fragment of the replication module. However, these traditional criteria were of limited industrial value, mainly because there appeared to be no correlation between these variables and host ranges. We therefore developed a PCR method to amplify VR2, a variable region of the antireceptor gene, which allowed rapid detection of S. thermophilus phages and classification of these phages. This method has a significant advantage over other grouping criteria since our results suggest that there is a correlation between typing profiles and host ranges. This association could be valuable for the dairy industry by allowing a rational starter rotation system to be established and by helping in the selection of more suitable starter culture resistance mechanisms. The method described here is also a useful tool for phage detection, since specific PCR amplification was possible when phage-contaminated milk was used as a template (detection limit, 10⁵ PFU ml^–1).

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (CSIC), Apdo. de correos 85, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain. Phone: 34 985 89 21 31. Fax: 34 985 89 22 33. E-mail: maag{at}ipla.csic.es.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 6096-6103, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.6096-6103.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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