[Lysogeny by phages specific to Yersinia pestis in bacteria of the microbiocenoses of wild plague-carrying rodents].

For the first time lysogenic bacteria of the genus Escherichia, spontaneously producing bacteriophages specific to the infective agent of plague, have been detected in the microbiocenoses of midday gerbils, plague carrier in the Volga-Urals natural focus. The morphological, cultural and biochemical properties of 22 lysogenic Escherichia strains isolated from wild rodents, as well as the spectra of the lytic activity of temperate bacteriophages produced by the above-mentioned microorganisms have been studied. Proceeding from the findings obtained in this research, all the strains have been divided into 3 lysotypes.