Phage types of Mycobacterium bovis, substrains of BCG.

Nineteen substrains of Mycobacterium bovis, strain bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) used in laboratories throughout the world for the preparation of BCG vaccines were phage-typed with a battery of mycobacteriophages. The results revealed differences in their susceptibility to phage lysis that allow subdivision of these strains of BCG into two or more phage types.