Abstract
Bacteriophages, viruses that infect and replicate within prokaryotic cells are the most abundant life forms in the environment, yet the vast majority of them have not been properly reported or even discovered. Almost all reported bacteriophages infecting the Enterobacteriaceae family, with Escherichia coli being the major subject of studies, have been isolated from wastewater, sewage, and effluent resources. In the present study, we focused on the distribution and biodiversity of Shigella phages in an aquatic ecosystem. While no Shigella bacteria was recovered from the Yangtze River, three lytic phages were isolated from this ecosystem and were subjected to biological, morphological, and genomic characteristics. Comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that vB _SflM_004 isolate belongs to Myoviridae family, Felixounavirus genus of Ounavirinae subfamily, vB_SdyM_006 was classified under the same family, however, it is suggested to be in a new genus under Tevenvirinae subfamily with some other related bacteriophages. vB_SsoS_008 phage belongs to the Siphoviridae family, Tunavirus genus, Tunavirinae subfamily. The phages did not harbor any genes involved in the lysogenic cycles and showed a high temperature and pH stability. The biodiversity of the isolated phages highly suggests that continued isolation on non-model members of Enterobacteriaceae family is necessary to fully understand bacteriophage diversity in aquatic environments.
Highlights
Bacteria-infecting viruses or bacteriophages are the most abundant biological entities on planet earth (Suttle, 2005)
The transmission electron microscopy micrographs show that the isolated phages for S. flexneri and S. dysenteriae have an icosahedral head, contractile tail, collar, and base plate, the typical properties Myoviridae family of bacteriophages (Figures 1A-D)
There are many reports concerning isolation of Shigella phages from sources such as municipal wastewater, drainage ponds, and surface runoff after the regional occurrence of shigellosis, which could be due to the contact of Shigella-contaminated resource with other water resources that usually are Shigella free
Summary
Bacteria-infecting viruses or bacteriophages (phages) are the most abundant biological entities on planet earth (Suttle, 2005). Of the cultured one, Phages Infecting Shigella in Water only very few numbers have been used as hosts for phage isolation (Hatfull and Hendrix, 2011). Even with this limited number of host cells, almost all of the phages reported so far have been isolated from environments such as untreated sewage and hospital wastewater or wound since there is a higher chance of isolating bacteriophages using such resources due to these resources being the most contaminated ecosystem containing a high number of pathogens. Considering the above facts, isolation of phages from other aquatic environments such as freshwater resources and reservoirs like rivers and lakes is of particular importance in view of their impact on both the microbial diversity and the ecological fate of photogenic bacteria
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
