Cell Wall Glycans Mediate Recognition of the Dairy Bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus by Bacteriophages.Receptors on the cell surfaces of bacterial hosts are essential during the infection cycle of bacteriophages.  To date, the phage receptors of the industrial relevant dairy starter bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus remain elusive.  Five industrial S. thermophilus strains sensitive to different phages (pac type, cos type, and the new type 987), were selected to generate spontaneous bacteriophage-insensitive mutants (BIMs).  Superresolution structured illumination microscopy was used to visualize the interactions between S. thermophilus and its phages.  Altogether, our data suggested that phage adsorption to S. thermophilus is mediated by glycans associated with the bacterial cell surface.  Specifically, the pac-type phage CHPC951 adsorbed to polysaccharides anchored to peptidoglycan, while the 987-type phage CHPC926 recognized exocellular polysaccharides associated with the cell surface.IMPORTANCEStreptococcus thermophilus is widely used in starter cultures for cheese and yoghurt production. 
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