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The presence of plasmids in bacterial hosts alters phage isolation and infectivity

Lyman Ngiam1, Karen D Weynberg2, Jianhua Guo3

  • 1Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.

ISME Communications
|November 8, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Plasmids in bacteria, like E. coli, significantly impact phage isolation and infectivity by altering bacterial surface proteins. Understanding this plasmid influence is crucial for phage research and applications.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacteriology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Plasmids are key vectors for antibiotic resistance genes and phage resistance in bacteria.
  • The role of plasmids in bacterial hosts on phage isolation and infectivity remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of bacterial plasmids on phage isolation and infectivity.
  • To characterize isolated phages and their interactions with plasmid-containing bacterial hosts.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of eight phages using Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida with different plasmids.
  • Analysis included phage morphology, host range, DNA and protein sequencing.
  • Investigated alterations in bacterial membrane protein expression.

Main Results:

  • Plasmids were found to influence both phage isolation efficiency and subsequent infectivity.
  • Isolated phages showed varied plaquing infectivity on bacteria with different plasmids.
  • Plasmid presence altered bacterial membrane protein expression, affecting phage receptor recognition.

Conclusions:

  • Bacterial plasmids are significant factors influencing phage isolation and infectivity.
  • The study underscores the need to consider plasmid profiles in phage research and applications.
  • Findings have implications for phage therapy and bacterial genetics research.

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