Genetic Mapping of Vi and Somatic Antigenic Determinants in Salmonella.

Johnson, E. M. (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C.), Barbara Krauskopf, and L. S. Baron. Genetic mapping of Vi and somatic antigenic determinants in Salmonella. J. Bacteriol. 90:302-308. 1965.-The Vi antigen and somatic antigen 9 were transferred to Salmonella typhimurium recipients by mating with S. typhosa Hfr TD-7, and the genetic determinants of these antigens were located. A gene responsible for Vi antigen expression, ViB was found to be associated with the inlpurA-pyrB linkage group, and the order ViB-inl-purA-pyrB was established. The determinant of somatic antigen 9 was found closely linked to the his gene, and cotransduction of these determinants was accomplished with phage PLT-22. Moreover, all conjugation and transduction hybrids which received the somatic antigen 9 determinant concurrently lost somatic antigen 4. Similarly, S. typhosa hybrids produced by transfer of his and the gene for somatic antigen 4 from S. typhimurium Hfr B2, or by cotransduction of these genes with PLT-22, also lost somatic antigen 9. These results indicated that the genetic determinants of the somatic antigen 9 and 4 are probably allelic. A second Vi antigen determinant, ViA, located near his, was discovered in matings of S. typhimurium Hfr B2 with a Vi-negative S. typhosa recipient. Vi-positive S. typhosa hybrids were obtained from this cross in which neither parent expressed the Vi antigen, indicating that this Vi determinant of S. typhosa is present also in S. typhimurium.