Phage Transduction

Bacteriophages mediate horizontal gene transfer through a mechanism known as transduction. Phage transduction carried out in the laboratory involves a bacterial donor and a recipient, both of which are susceptible to infection by the phage of interest. Phage is propagated in the donor, concentrated, and exposed transiently to recipient at different multiplicity of infection ratios. Transductants are selected for the desired phenotype by culture on selective medium. Here we describe transduction of ermB conferring resistance to erythromycin by the C. difficile phage ϕC2.