Inactivation of Streptococcal Bacteriophage by Sulfhydryl Reagents. ∗

Abstract

Summary

Although there is evidence to suggest that cell wall components play a role as receptors for phage attachment to the cell, the details of virus adsorption and the prerequisite conditions for infection are not clearly elucidated. In the experiments reported here, it has been demonstrated that phages of Groups A and C streptococci are inactivated by certain sulfhydryl reagents such as PHMB and mercuric ion. The results suggest that these agents did not prevent phage adsorption but rather affected some later step in infection. The inactivation of phage infectivity by the sulfhydryl reagents was reversed by the thiol compound reduced glutathione, a finding consistent with the view that sulfhydryl groups of the phage tail may play a role in the early stages of phage infection.