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New temperate DNA phage BcP15 acts as a drug resistance vector

D K Hens1, N C Chatterjee, R Kumar

  • 1Sonamukhi College, Sonamukhi, Bankura, India.

Archives of Virology
|February 8, 2006
PubMed

Insights

A temperate DNA phage, BcP15, was found to transfer drug resistance to Shigella flexneri. This phage lysogenization in S. flexneri conferred multidrug resistance, highlighting phage roles in antibiotic resistance dissemination.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Multidrug resistance in bacteria is a growing global health concern.
  • Bacterial plasmids are known vectors for antibiotic resistance genes.
  • The role of bacteriophages in horizontal gene transfer, including antibiotic resistance, is an area of active research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of a novel temperate DNA phage, BcP15, in the context of bacterial drug resistance.
  • To determine if phage BcP15 can transfer antibiotic resistance traits between bacterial strains.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of multidrug-resistant Shigella flexneri and Burkholderia cepacia strains.
  • Plasmid curing experiments to assess the role of plasmids in antibiotic resistance.
  • Phage plaque assays and lysogenization experiments using Shigella flexneri.
  • Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to analyze chromosomal DNA patterns.
  • Southern hybridization to confirm the integration of phage DNA and identify resistance genes.

Main Results:

  • Shigella flexneri NK1925 lost antibiotic resistance upon plasmid curing.
  • The temperate phage BcP15, released by Burkholderia cepacia DR11, formed plaques on a plasmidless Shigella flexneri NK1925 strain.
  • Lysogenization of Shigella flexneri with BcP15 (resulting in Pl(-)35R clones) conferred resistance to co-trimoxazole, trimethoprim, and erythromycin.
  • Southern hybridization confirmed that antibiotic resistance in Pl(-)35R clones was due to BcP15 phage lysogenization.

Conclusions:

  • The temperate DNA phage BcP15 plays a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance.
  • Phage lysogenization can be a mechanism for acquiring multidrug resistance in bacteria like Shigella flexneri.
  • This study underscores the importance of bacteriophages as vectors for antibiotic resistance genes in clinical settings.

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