ISOLATION OF ENTEROHEMOLYSIN (EHLY2)-ASSOCIATED SEQUENCES ENCODED ON TEMPERATE PHAGES OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI

We have cloned and sequenced the enterohemolysin (ehl)-associated regi on from a temperate bacteriophage isolated from an Escherichia coli O2 6:H11 strain. Phage phiC3208 was isolated together with other temperat e bacteriophages which transduce the enterohemolytic phenotype to non- hemolytic E. coli O26 strains. The nucleotide sequence of the 1245-bp phiC3208 DNA insert in plasmid pEO39, which mediates Ehly2 production in E. coli K-12, was determined and was found to be partially homologo us to DNA of bacteriophage lambda but is completely unrelated to DNA s equences encoding the synthesis of Ehly1 [Stroeher et al. Gene 132 (19 93), 89-94]. It was shown that part of this region can be used as an H ly2-associated specific DNA probe.