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Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
09:40

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

Published on: June 11, 2015

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Characterization of novel Staphylococcus aureus lytic phage and defining their combinatorial virulence using the

Luis A Estrella1, Javier Quinones1, Matthew Henry1

  • 1Biological Defense Research Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center-Frederick , Fort Detrick, MD USA.

Bacteriophage
|October 15, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Novel bacteriophages (phages) show promise for treating antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. A combination of phages effectively reduces bacterial growth and prevents resistance, offering a potential new therapy for skin infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes difficult-to-treat skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs).
  • Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria and are being explored as an alternative to antibiotics for resistant infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize novel bacteriophages with lytic activity against Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of these novel phages, individually and in combination, against clinical isolates of S. aureus.
  • To investigate the potential of phage combinations to overcome phage resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and identification of seven novel phages with broad lytic activity against S. aureus.
  • Efficiency of plating (EOP) assays to screen 170 clinical isolates (MRSA and MSSA).
  • Electron microscopy for phage morphology, restriction endonuclease analysis for genetic relatedness, and OmniLog® microplate assay for growth rate and synergy studies.

Main Results:

  • The novel phages demonstrated virulent lytic activity, inhibiting 70-91% of MRSA and MSSA isolates.
  • Phages belong to the Myoviridae family and require specific cell wall components for infection.
  • Combinations of phage K with novel phages (SA0420ᶲ1, SA0456ᶲ1, SA0482ᶲ1) exhibited synergistic lytic effects and suppressed the emergence of phage resistance.

Conclusions:

  • A broad-spectrum lytic phage mixture effectively combats S. aureus, including resistant strains.
  • Phage combinations can suppress the development of bacterial resistance, a significant challenge in phage therapy.
  • These findings highlight the potential of phage therapy for treating S. aureus wound infections.
Keywords:
Staphylococcus aureusbacteriophagebacteriophage Kmulti-drug resistanceteichoic acid

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