In Vivo Transduction with Shiga Toxin 1-Encoding Phage

To facilitate the study of intestinal transmission of the Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1)-converting phage H-19B, Tn10d-bla mutagenesis of an Escherichia coli H-19B lysogen was undertaken. Two mutants containing insertions in the gene encoding the A subunit of Stx1 were isolated. The resultant ampicillin-resistant E. coli strains lysogenic for these phages produced infectious H-19B particles but not active toxin. These lysogens were capable of transducing an E. coli recipient strain in the murine gastrointestinal tract, thereby demonstrating that lysogens of Shiga toxin-converting phages give rise to infectious virions within the host gastrointestinal tract.