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Updated: Jul 8, 2026
07:19
Bacteriophage Removal from Infected Salmonella Cultures
Published on: June 28, 2024
Bacteria, phages and septicemia.
Ausra Gaidelyte1, Martti Vaara, Dennis H Bamford
1Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Plos One
|January 12, 2008
Summary
Bacteriophages (phages) are found in septicemia patients, circulating in the blood and potentially influencing bacterial infections. These phages may play a role in bacterial clonal selection during invasion.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
- Virology
Background:
- Antibiotic resistance necessitates alternative treatments like bacteriophages (phages).
- The ecological role of phages in severe bacterial infections, such as septicemia, remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phage ecology within septicemia bacterial infections.
- To determine the presence and activity of phages in septicemia patient samples.
Main Methods:
- Surveying phage ecology in bacterial isolates from septicemia patients.
- Detecting phages in initial blood cultures from septicemia cases.
Main Results:
- Most bacterial isolates from septicemia patients secreted phages active against other isolates of the same strain.
- These phages were detected in blood cultures, indicating circulation during sepsis onset.
- Septicemic bacterial isolates frequently carry functional prophages, suggesting an active role in infections.
Conclusions:
- Phages are present and active in the bloodstream during septicemia.
- Prophages in sepsis-causing bacteria may influence bacterial clonal selection and invasion dynamics.
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