Jojan: a novel virus that lyses Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from dog

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Virology
• Genomics

Background:

• Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacterium frequently implicated in nosocomial infections.
• This opportunistic pathogen affects both humans and mammals, causing pneumonia and bacteremia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize a novel bacteriophage capable of lysing Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.
• To analyze the genomic and morphological features of the newly discovered virus.
• To investigate the mechanism of host cell lysis employed by the bacteriophage.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of bacteriophage from a canine skin sample.
• Genome sequencing and annotation of the isolated bacteriophage.
• Morphological analysis using electron microscopy.
• Biochemical characterization of the lysis enzyme.

Main Results:

• A novel siphovirus-like bacteriophage was isolated, lysing a Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain.
• The bacteriophage possesses a linear dsDNA genome of 60,804 bp with unique gene arrangement.
• Host lysis is mediated by a zinc metallopeptidase active in the presence of divalent cations and heat-stable.

Conclusions:

• The newly identified bacteriophage represents a new genus due to its distinct genomic and proteomic features.
• The phage and its endolysin exhibit high specificity, degrading only the target S. maltophilia strain.
• This discovery provides a potential new avenue for bacteriophage therapy against Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections.