An exfoliative toxin A-converting phage isolated from Staphylococcus aureus strain ZM.

Exfoliative toxin A (ETA) causes staphylococcal scalded-skin syndrome in children. The gene for ETA was believed to be coded by the chromosomal DNA. We isolated temperate phages from an ETA-producing strain, ZM, using a restriction minus strain, 1039, as an indicator. One of the prophages, designated φ-ZM-1 mediated lysogenic conversion of ETA. The polymerase chain reaction assay of the eta gene revealed that phage φ-ZM-1 carries the structural gene for ETA.