Antibacterial efficacy of temperate phage-mediated inhibition of bacterial group motilities

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bacteriology
• Virology

Background:

• Phage therapy is an emerging alternative to antibiotics for combating bacterial infections.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections pose a significant threat, necessitating novel treatment strategies.
• Bacterial motility is crucial for pathogenesis and infection establishment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of temperate phages on Pseudomonas aeruginosa motility.
• To evaluate the efficacy of specific phages in controlling P. aeruginosa infections in vivo.
• To determine if phage-mediated motility inhibition correlates with reduced infection severity.

Main Methods:

• Lysogenization of P. aeruginosa PA14 with temperate siphages (DMS3, MP22, D3112).
• Assessment of bacterial swarming and twitching motility in vitro.
• Evaluation of phage in vitro killing activity and in vivo persistence in mice and flies.
• Testing phage efficacy in murine peritonitis-sepsis and Drosophila systemic infection models.

Main Results:

• Lysogens of DMS3 and MP22 showed impaired swarming motility; D3112 lysogens showed impaired twitching motility.
• Both swarming and twitching motilities of P. aeruginosa were affected by the presence of MP22 and D3112 phages.
• Phages D3112 and MP22 exhibited similar in vitro killing and in vivo persistence.
• Only D3112 administration significantly reduced mortality and bacterial burden in infection models.

Conclusions:

• Temperate phage D3112 effectively controls acute P. aeruginosa infections.
• Phage-mediated inhibition of twitching motility is a key mechanism for controlling P. aeruginosa infections.
• Temperate phage therapy, particularly via motility inhibition, shows potential as an anti-infective strategy.