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Bacteriophage Effectiveness for Biocontrol of Foodborne Pathogens Evaluated via High-Throughput Settings

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Bacteriophage host range and bacterial resistance.

Paul Hyman¹, Stephen T Abedon

¹MedCentral College of Nursing, Mansfield, Ohio, USA.

Advances in Applied Microbiology

|April 3, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Bacteriophages (phages) and bacteria evolve resistance mechanisms. Understanding phage resistance in bacteria is crucial for phage therapy and industrial applications, with some resistance strategies being underappreciated.

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Evolutionary Biology
Biotechnology

Background:

Host range defines a parasite's infectivity, influenced by parasite, host, and environmental factors.
Bacteriophages (phages) and their bacterial hosts exhibit co-evolutionary adaptations significant for phage therapy and industrial processes.
Phage resistance mechanisms in bacteria are critical for controlling phage infections.

Purpose of the Study:

To define phage host range and review reported broad host ranges.
To summarize bacterial mechanisms of phage resistance, including adsorption resistance, restriction, and abortive infections.
To highlight underappreciated bacterial resistance mechanisms that do not prevent host death.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on phage host range and bacterial resistance mechanisms.
Analysis of different categories of phage resistance: adsorption resistance, restriction, and abortive infection.
Comparison of laboratory selection methods with natural resistance evolution.

Main Results:

Phage host range definitions and examples of broad host ranges are presented.
Bacterial resistance mechanisms include loss of receptors, physical barriers, genome inhibition, superinfection immunity, and CRISPR.
Standard laboratory selection favors pre-host takeover resistance, potentially overlooking other strategies.

Conclusions:

Bacterial resistance to phages is diverse, involving multiple strategies beyond those easily selected in labs.
Understanding the full spectrum of phage resistance is vital for optimizing phage therapy and industrial applications.
Further research into less-studied resistance mechanisms could reveal new avenues for managing phage-bacterial interactions.