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Host range, morphological and genomic characterisation of bacteriophages with activity against clinical Streptococcus

Lucy L Furfaro1, Matthew S Payne1, Barbara J Chang2

  • 1The School of Medicine, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.

Plos One
|June 24, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Bacteriophages (phages) show promise for treating Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections in newborns. Four novel phages demonstrated significant lytic activity against GBS clinical isolates, offering a potential alternative to antibiotics.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a primary cause of neonatal sepsis.
  • Antibiotic prophylaxis for GBS colonization in pregnant women carries risks like resistance and microbiome disruption.
  • Bacteriophages (phages) offer a targeted therapeutic alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize bacteriophages with lytic activity against Streptococcus agalactiae.
  • To evaluate the potential of these phages for therapeutic applications against GBS.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of four bacteriophages (LF1-LF4) from wastewater.
  • In vitro testing of phage lytic activity against clinical S. agalactiae isolates.
  • Genomic analysis of isolated phages.

Main Results:

  • 77.2% of maternal and 100% of neonatal S. agalactiae isolates were susceptible to at least one phage.
  • Phage genomes ranged from 32,205-44,768 bp, belonging to the Siphoviridae family.
  • Phages exhibited varying degrees of relatedness to known S. agalactiae and S. pyogenes prophages, with evidence of temperate characteristics.

Conclusions:

  • Isolated phages display broad host range activity against clinical GBS isolates.
  • Despite being temperate, these phages show potential for therapeutic development, including bioengineered phage or lysin applications.

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