Phase variation of pili of Corynebacterium pilosum.

Whether or not (?) phase variation occurs in the pili of Corynebacterium pilosum was biologically examined using the colony enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) blot test with anti-pili immune serum. From the densely piliated clone (35P+) of C. pilosum 35, non-piliated variants were isolated at a frequency of 2.45 x 10(-3). From one of the non-piliated variants (designated as P(-11)/35P+), a piliated variant was isolated at a frequency of 4.68 x 10(-4), one log less frequently than the non-piliated variant. From this piliated variant as designated (P+4/P(-11)/35P+), a non-piliated variant was isolated at a frequency of 3.86 x 10(-3). C. pilosum was thus alternated between piliated and non-piliated at a fairly high frequency, suggesting that the pili may undergo phase variation. This is the first finding of phase variation of the pili of Gram-positive bacteria.