Relationship between capsular types 5 and 8 and phage types in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from cow, goat and ewe milk

Abstract In order to check the relationship between capsular polysaccharide (CP) type 5 and 8 and certain phage patterns, previously described in human Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates, we typed 100 CP types 5 and 8 S. aureus strains isolated from cow, goat and ewe milk, with the human set of phages. The proportion of typable strains was much less than that found with human strains. The association between CP types 5 and 8 and phage patterns reported for human isolates was only partially confirmed and an original correlation between susceptibility to group III phages and CP type 5 was found.