Characterization of Poultry Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus by a New Set of Poultry Phages

Abstract

A set of phages has been isolated from strains of Staphylococcus aureus, non‐typable with the International (human) phage set, recovered from processed poultry. This set of phages could distinguish three main groups of strains, and biochemical tests confirmed these divisions, members of each group exhibiting characteristics of both ‘human’and ‘animal’strains. A high proportion of strains from all three phage groups was enterotoxigenic.

Plasmid profiles as indicators of the source of contamination of Staphylococcus aureus endemic within poultry processing plants

“…A high percentage of strains isolated from the incoming birds produced penicillinase, suggesting their prior treatment with penicillin. We found a similar result in another plant (5), confirming the results of other researchers (4,6,7). We have again demonstrated a close correlation between penicillinase production and the presence of a 7.5-MDa plasmid.…”

The Distribution of Staphylococcus aureus in a Poultry Processing Plant

“…Evidently, strains of Staph. aureus of poultry phage Groups A and B, predominate on live hens and turkeys and a previous investigation (Gibbs et al 19786) had shown that these types were common on processed poultry from all plants studied and at plant A before 1971. This evidence suggests that Staph.…”

“…Phage-typing of strains of Staph. aureus from this plant with the poultry phage set in an earlier study (see Plant A; Gibbs et al 19786) and correlation of the poultry phage groups with particular biochemical characteristics, suggested it was unlikely that these strains were of human origin. It was now necessary to correlate the phage-type of certain strains of Staph.…”

“…aureus are quite distinct. Most of the strains belonging to poultry phage Group B, are susceptible to phages of the 207, 212, 223, 229 complex (see Gibbs et al 19786). Some strains showed weak cross reactions with phages of poultry phage Group A which accounts for most of the 'not-classified' reactions recorded in Tables 2, 4, 5 and 6, and biochemically these strains are more like 'endemic' than 'live bird' types.…”

“…IN THE PREVIOUS PAPER (Gibbs et al 19786) we described the isolation, characterization and use of a set of phages for typing strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from commercially processed poultry and the biochemical characteristics of strains of Staph. aureus associated with each poultry phage group were also determined.…”