Evidence of Localized Prophage-Host Recombination in the lytA Gene, Encoding the Major Pneumococcal Autolysin

According to a highly polymorphic region in the lytA gene, encoding the major autolysin of Streptococcus pneumoniae, two different families of alleles can be differentiated by PCR and restriction digestion. Here, we provide evidence that this polymorphic region arose from recombination events with homologous genes of pneumococcal temperate phages.