Coliphages of the human urinary microbiota

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Virology
• Urogenital Health

Background:

• The urinary tract microbiome (urobiome) composition, particularly Escherichia coli, is linked to urinary tract infections (UTIs).
• Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that infect bacteria, are present in the urobiome, with many bacterial species acting as lysogens harboring prophages.
• Temperate phages, capable of lytic cycles, can alter bacterial diversity within the urobiome, but urinary coliphages remain largely uncataloged.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the diversity of coliphages within the human urobiome.
• To identify and characterize temperate phages residing in urinary Escherichia coli strains.
• To assess the lytic activity of urinary coliphages against uropathogenic E. coli.

Main Methods:

• Bioinformatic analysis of publicly available urinary E. coli genomes to identify prophage sequences.
• Isolation and characterization of ten temperate phages from urinary E. coli.
• Host range assays to evaluate the lytic efficacy of isolated urinary coliphages and laboratory coliphages against urinary E. coli strains.

Main Results:

• Identification of 3,038 intact prophage sequences, representing 1,542 unique phages, including novel species and those also found in the gut microbiome.
• Confirmation of ten temperate phages capable of infecting and lysing urinary E. coli strains.
• Observation that coliphages from non-urinary sources, specifically T2 and N4, demonstrated high efficiency in lysing E. coli strains from female UTI patients.

Conclusions:

• The urobiome harbors a diverse community of coliphages, many of which are temperate and possess the ability to lyse urinary E. coli.
• These findings suggest a potential role for urinary coliphages in modulating E. coli diversity within the urobiome.
• Further research into urinary coliphages may offer novel strategies for managing UTIs.