Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
Biosensor for Detection of Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus Bacteria
Published on: May 8, 2013
Identification of a novel phage targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus In vitro and In vivo
Jiawei Ji1, Qian Liu2, Rui Wang3
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Introduction:
Staphylococcus aureus is a common human pathogen that causes various diseases including infections on the skin, in the bloodstream and the lower respiratory tracts. The emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) made the treatment of the bacterial infection more difficult, calling for development of new therapeutics. Compared with conventional antibiotic therapy, phage therapy offers a promising alternative to combat infections caused by MRSA.
Results:
Here we showed that phage VB_SauS_SH-St 15644 isolated from sewage inhibited MRSA isolates in vitro and in the murine skin infection model. Phage VB_SauS_SH-St 15644 belongs to Siphoviridae. The genome of the phage is a linear, 45,111 bp double-stranded DNA with GC content of 33.35%. Among the 37 clinical MRSA isolates tested, 12 (32%) were lysed by the phage in vitro. The phage was relatively stable at temperatures up to 40 °C or between pH 6 and 9. However, the phage was sensitive to UV light. 80% of the phage was approximately adsorbed to the host MRSA isolate in 4 min. The one-step growth curve showed that the latent period was about 12 min followed by the growth period (about 9 min). The burst size was estimated at 13 PFU per infected cell. Furthermore, in a murine skin infection model, the phage significantly inhibited MRSA infection.
Conclusions:
Our study suggested that phage VB_SauS_SH-St 15644 has a potential to inhibit MRSA skin infection.
