Lactic acid bacterium with a reduction of sensitivity to cos-type bacteriophages

A strain of the Streptococcus genus selected from the group consisting of a Streptococcus thermophilus strain and a Streptococcus mutans strain,

• wherein the strain comprises a metAPR allele as the sole allele of its metAP gene, wherein the metAPR allele encodes a methionine aminopeptidase (MetAPR) protein,
• wherein the amino acid sequence of the MetAPR protein shares at least 80% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO:
• 2, and:
• a) the MetAPR protein comprises an amino acid substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 57, 153, 168, 206, 228, or 233 of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• or
• b) the MetAPR protein is C-terminally truncated at the position corresponding to position 226 of SEQ ID NO:
• 2.