Characterisation of broad-spectrum phiKZ like jumbo phage and its utilisation in controlling multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates

Abstract

The emergence of highly virulent multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa has become increasingly evident among hospital-acquired infections and has raised the need for alternative therapies. Phage therapy can be one such alternative to antibiotic therapy to combat multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria, but this requires the availability of phages with a broad host range. In this study, isolation and molecular characterisation of P. aeruginosa specific phages were carried out. A total of 17 phages isolated showed different spectra of activity and efficiency of lysis against 82 isolates of P. aeruginosa obtained from clinical samples (n = 13), hospital effluent (n = 46) and fish processing plant effluent (n = 23). Antibiotic susceptibility test results revealed multi-drug resistance in 61 of the total 82 isolates. Three new jumbo lytic P. aeruginosa specific broad host range phages were isolated and characterised in this present study belonged to the family Myoviridae (order Caudovirales). The genetic analysis of ɸU5 revealed that phage has a genome size of 282.6 kbp with 373 putative open reading frames (ORFs), and its genetic architecture is similar to phiKZ like jumbo phages infecting P. aeruginosa. The bacteriophages isolated in this study had lytic ability against biofilm-forming and multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa and could be candidates for further studies towards phage therapy.