Genetic analysis of the cap5 locus of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus expresses at least eight distinct serotypes of capsul ar polysaccharide (CP). Gene clusters involved in the expression of serotyp es 1, 5 and 8 have been cloned and sequenced. In this report we describe th e isolation and analysis of serotype 5 capsular polysaccharide-defective mu tants. A naturally occurring cnp mutation in the laboratory strains 8325-4 and RN4220 was mapped to the cap5E gene by genetic complementation. The cap 5H-K genes were shown to be responsible for CP5 serotype specificity by tra nsduction and complementation. (C) 1999 Federation of European Microbiologi cal Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.