Abstract
Lysogenic conversion of Staphylococcus aureus to loss of ${\beta}-hemolysin$ production by serological group F phages is always associated with gain in staphylokinase production. In this study, the new phages belonging to serotype F were detected during the course of isolation of phages from Staph aureus of bovine origin and some characteristics of the new phages isolated were investigated. The new phages, ${\phi}470$ and ${\phi}499$, isolated from Staph aureus producing ${\beta}-hemolysin$ and staphylokinase(${\beta}^+\;K^+$) were found to convert ${\beta}^+\;K^+$ strain to ${\beta}^+K\;^+$, Staph aureus strains lysogenized by this serotype F single-converting phage ${\phi}470$ or ${\phi}499$ could be again lysogenized with serotype F double-converting phage ${\phi}506$. The frequency of lysogenization of indicator strains by serotype F single-converting phage was 100%, whereas the frequency for serotype F double-converting phage ${\phi}506$ varied from 4.2% to 97.6% according to the indicator strains. The indicator strain lysogenized with phage ${\phi}470$ was resistant to phage ${\phi}499$, and vice versa, but not to phage ${\phi}506$. Therefore, phage ${\phi}470$ and ${\phi}499$ were shown to be identical by immunity test.