Characterization of a Unique <i>Bordetella bronchiseptica</i> vB_BbrP_BB8 Bacteriophage and Its Application as an Antibacterial Agent

oleh: Mateusz Szymczak, Bartłomiej Grygorcewicz, Joanna Karczewska-Golec, Przemysław Decewicz, Jarosław Adam Pankowski, Hanna Országh-Szturo, Paweł Bącal, Barbara Dołęgowska, Piotr Golec

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2020-02-01

Deskripsi

<i>Bordetella bronchiseptica</i>, an emerging zoonotic pathogen, infects a broad range of mammalian hosts. <i>B. bronchiseptica</i>-associated atrophic rhinitis incurs substantial losses to the pig breeding industry. The true burden of human disease caused by <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> is unknown, but it has been postulated that some hypervirulent <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> isolates may be responsible for undiagnosed respiratory infections in humans. <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> was shown to acquire antibiotic resistance genes from other bacterial genera, especially <i>Escherichia coli</i>. Here, we present a new <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> lytic bacteriophage&#8212;vB_BbrP_BB8&#8212;of the <i>Podoviridae</i> family, which offers a safe alternative to antibiotic treatment of <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> infections. We explored the phage at the level of genome, physiology, morphology, and infection kinetics. Its therapeutic potential was investigated in biofilms and in an <i>in vivo</i> <i>Galleria mellonella</i> model, both of which mimic the natural environment of infection. The BB8 is a unique phage with a genome structure resembling that of T7-like phages. Its latent period is 75 &#177; 5 min and its burst size is 88 &#177; 10 phages. The BB8 infection causes complete lysis of <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> cultures irrespective of the MOI used. The phage efficiently removes bacterial biofilm and prevents the lethality induced by <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> in <i>G. mellonella</i> honeycomb moth larvae.