Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens, causing various diseases in humans and animals. As methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has become increasingly prevalent, controlling this pathogen with standard antibiotic treatment has become challenging. Bacteriophages (phages) have attracted interest as alternative antibacterial agents to control MRSA. In this study, we isolated six S. aureus phages from soils of poultry/livestock farms. Based on the results of host range determination with 150 S. aureus strains and restriction enzyme treatment of phage DNA, two phages, designated SP5 and SP6, were selected for further characterization and genome sequencing. Both SP5 and SP6 were classified as members of the family Siphoviridae. The genome of SP5 comprises 43 305 bp and contains 63 ORFs, while the SP6 genome comprises 42 902 bp and contains 61 ORFs. Although they have different host spectra, the phage genomes exhibit high nucleotide similarity to each other. Adsorption assay results suggested that the host range determinants of the two phages are involved in both adsorption and infection. Comparative genomic analyses of the two phages provided evidence that the lysogenic/lytic control module and tail proteins may be important for host specificity.
Highlights
Staphylococcus aureus is usually commensal on human skin, but it is one of the most important pathogens, causing illnesses ranging from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia and bacteraemia (Mann, 2008)
We report isolation of S. aureus bacteriophages from soil samples from a poultry farm and a cattle shed, and present the results of microbiological and molecular characterization of two selected phages that can be utilized in developing biocontrol agents against staphylococcal contamination
Six S. aureus bacteriophages were isolated from six soil samples collected from poultry and livestock farms, and designated SP1–SP6
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus is usually commensal on human skin, but it is one of the most important pathogens, causing illnesses ranging from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia and bacteraemia (Mann, 2008). The increasing incidence of antibioticresistant S. aureus strains, such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA), has become a major concern, because S. aureus is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections (DeLeo & Chambers, 2009; Dulon et al, 2011).
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