Differentiation of polyvalent bacteriophages specific to uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis strains based on the host
Agnieszka Maszewska1, Ewelina Wójcik2, Aneta Ciurzyńska1
1Department of Immunobiology of Bacteria, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
Abstract:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by P. mirabilis are difficult to cure because of the increasing antimicrobial resistance of these bacteria. Phage therapy is proposed as an alternative infection treatment. The aim of this study was to isolate and differentiate uropathogenic P. mirabilis strain specific polyvalent bacteriophages producing polysaccharide depolymerases (PDs). 51 specific phages were obtained. The plaques of 29 bacteriophages were surrounded by halos, which indicated that they produced PDs. The host range analysis showed that, except phages 58B and 58C, the phage host range profiles differed from each other. Phages 35 and 45 infected all P. mirabilis strains tested. Another 10 phages lysed more than 90% of isolates. Among these phages, 65A, 70, 66 and 66A caused a complete lysis of the bacterial lawn formed by 62% to 78% of strains. Additionally, phages 39A and 70 probably produced PDs. The phages' DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis demonstrated that genomes of 51 isolated phages represented 34 different restriction profiles. DNA of phage 58A seemed to be resistant to selected EcoRV endonuclease. The 33 RFLP-EcoRV profiles showed a Dice similarity index of 38.8%. 22 RFLP patterns were obtained from single phage isolates. The remaining 12 restriction profiles consisted of 2 to 4 viruses. The results obtained from phage characterization based on the pattern of phage host range in combination with the RFLP method enabled effective differentiation of the studied phages and selection of PD producing polyvalent phages for further study.
Insights
This study isolated 51 bacteriophages effective against P. mirabilis, a cause of difficult-to-treat urinary tract infections (UTIs). Several phages produced polysaccharide depolymerases (PDs), showing potential for phage therapy against antimicrobial resistance.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
- Virology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Proteus mirabilis are challenging to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance.
- Phage therapy presents a promising alternative treatment strategy for bacterial infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize uropathogenic P. mirabilis-specific polyvalent bacteriophages.
- To identify bacteriophages producing polysaccharide depolymerases (PDs) for enhanced efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of 51 specific bacteriophages against P. mirabilis.
- Analysis of plaque halos to detect polysaccharide depolymerase (PD) production.
- Host range analysis and DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for phage differentiation.
Main Results:
- 29 out of 51 isolated phages produced PDs, indicated by lysis halos.
- Phages 35 and 45 demonstrated broad host range, infecting all tested P. mirabilis strains.
- RFLP analysis revealed 34 distinct restriction profiles among the 51 phages, enabling differentiation.
Conclusions:
- The combination of host range analysis and RFLP effectively differentiated bacteriophages.
- Selected polyvalent bacteriophages producing PDs are suitable candidates for further investigation in phage therapy against P. mirabilis UTIs.
