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Bacteriophages in clinical samples can interfere with microbiological diagnostic tools
Maryury Brown-Jaque1, Maite Muniesa1, Ferran Navarro2
1Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 645, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Scientific Reports
|September 10, 2016
Summary
Bacteriophages (viruses infecting bacteria) were found in over 45% of clinical urine and ascitic fluid samples. These phages interfered with bacterial isolation and diagnostic testing, impacting clinical microbiology.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria.
- Phages are ubiquitous and can be present in various environments, including the human body.
- Their presence in clinical samples may impact bacterial detection and characterization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of infectious bacteriophages in human clinical samples.
- To assess the impact of phage presence on routine bacterial isolation and diagnostic assays.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 65 clinical samples including blood, ascitic fluid, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and serum.
- Detection of infectious tailed phages using appropriate microbiological techniques.
- Evaluation of phage interference with bacterial isolation for antibiogram assays and direct plating.
Main Results:
- Infectious tailed phages were detected in over 45% of ascitic fluid and urine samples.
- Phage presence interfered with bacterial isolation, notably preventing confluent growth for antibiogram assays.
- Bacteria from clinical samples were sometimes unculturable due to phage lysis after enrichment.
Conclusions:
- Bacteriophages are frequently present in clinical samples like urine and ascitic fluid.
- The presence of phages can significantly hinder bacterial isolation and diagnostic procedures in clinical microbiology.
- Clinical laboratories should consider phage presence when interpreting results and optimizing bacterial detection methods.
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