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Corynephages: Infections of the Infectors

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Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Related Toxigenic Species

Abstract

Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the etiological agent of diphtheria; an acute toxin-mediated infection of the upper respiratory tract and skin. The toxin gene is encoded on a temperate bacteriophage, which during lysogeny is capable of toxin production. In this chapter, we will summarise current knowledge regarding corynephage, focusing on the lifecycle and biology of the toxin-carrying corynephages that are known to convert pathogenic corynebacteria, and discuss the insights recent genome corynebacterial sequencing has given us.

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Acknowledgements

Corynebacterium work in the Hoskisson laboratory is supported by Medical Research Scotland (Grant FRG-422), the University of Strathclyde and the Society for General Microbiology. I would like to thank Florence Pethick for helpful comments on the manuscript.

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  1. Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE, UK

    Vartul Sangal & Paul A. Hoskisson

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  1. Vartul Sangal
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  2. Paul A. Hoskisson
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Correspondence to Paul A. Hoskisson .

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  1. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany

    Andreas Burkovski

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Sangal, V., Hoskisson, P. (2014). Corynephages: Infections of the Infectors. In: Burkovski, A. (eds) Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Related Toxigenic Species. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7624-1_4

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