Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and pathogenic bacterium that causes infections in humans and animals. It is a major cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. Due to increasing prevalence of multidrug resistance, alternative methods to eradicate the pathogen are necessary. In this respect, polyvalent staphylococcal myoviruses have been demonstrated to be excellent candidates for phage therapy. Here we present the characterization of the bacteriophage vB_SauM-fRuSau02 (fRuSau02) that was isolated from a commercial Staphylococcus bacteriophage cocktail produced by Microgen (Moscow, Russia). The genomic analysis revealed that fRuSau02 is very closely related to the phage MSA6, and possesses a large genome (148,464 bp), with typical modular organization and a low G+C (30.22%) content. It can therefore be classified as a new virus among the genus Twortlikevirus. The genome contains 236 predicted genes, 4 of which were interrupted by insertion sequences. Altogether, 78 different structural and virion-associated proteins were identified from purified phage particles by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The host range of fRuSau02 was tested with 135 strains, including 51 and 54 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from humans and pigs, respectively, and 30 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus strains of human origin. All clinical S. aureus strains were at least moderately sensitive to the phage, while only 39% of the pig strains were infected. Also, some strains of Staphylococcus intermedius, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus pseudointer were sensitive. We conclude that fRuSau02, a phage therapy agent in Russia, can serve as an alternative to antibiotic therapy against S. aureus.
Highlights
Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and pathogenic bacterium that causes opportunistic infections in humans and animals
Even though the incidence of severe infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is decreasing [3], MRSA still is an important cause of nosocomial infections worldwide [4,5]
Phage fRuSau02 was isolated from the Staphylococcus bacteriophage cocktail produced by the Microgen Company (Moscow, Russia; series: H52, 0813, PN001973/01)
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and pathogenic bacterium that causes opportunistic infections in humans and animals. 20% of humans have persistent and 30% sporadic nasal S. aureus colonization [1]. S. aureus causes a broad spectrum of infections in humans ranging from simple abscesses to fatal sepsis, including pneumonia, endocarditis, meningitis, mastitis, food poisoning, and toxic shock syndrome [2]. Even though the incidence of severe infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is decreasing [3], MRSA still is an important cause of nosocomial infections worldwide [4,5]. The emergence of multidrug resistance results in difficulties in eradication of the pathogen with the use of conventional therapies and requires development of alternatives to antibiotic-based therapies
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