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Growth Characteristics of Streptococcal Phages in Relation to Cheese Manufacture

The Dairy Research Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Under the conditions of commercial cheese manufacture some strains of S. cremoris were more liable than others to phage infection. This greater chance of infection appeared to be connected with a more rapid development of certain phage races, leading to a higher concentration of phage in the cheese whey and hence to a higher degree of air-borne phage infection. The observed characteristics of the phage races could be reasonably explained on the basis of latent period and burst size. Short latent period or high burst size, or both, were characteristic of phage races which developed rapidly and reached a high concentration in cheese whey. Within the limits of the values found, latent period was more important than burst size in determining rate of phage development, but both had an influence and could reinforce or compensate one another. Increase in incubation temperature brought about a decrease in latent period but had no significant effect on burst size. The change in latent period with rise in temperature did not depend directly on the changed rate of growth of the bacterium. Two phage races which were capable of acting on the one strain of streptococcus differed both in latent period and burst size.

¹ Fulbright scholar. Present address: Department of Dairy and Food Industries, University of Wisconsin, Madison.