Abstract
Salmonella Typhimurium, a foodborne pathogen, is a major concern for food safety. Its MDR serovars of animal origin pose a serious threat to the human population. Phage therapy can be an alternative for the treatment of such MDR Salmonella serovars. In this study, we report on detailed genome analyses of a novel Salmonella phage (Salmonella-Phage-SSBI34) and evaluate its therapeutic potential. The phage was evaluated for latent time, burst size, host range, and bacterial growth reduction in liquid cultures. The phage stability was examined at various pH levels and temperatures. The genome analysis (141.095 Kb) indicated that its nucleotide sequence is novel, as it exhibited only 1–7% DNA coverage. The phage genome features 44% GC content, and 234 putative open reading frames were predicted. The genome was predicted to encode for 28 structural proteins and 40 enzymes related to nucleotide metabolism, DNA modification, and protein synthesis. Further, the genome features 11 tRNA genes for 10 different amino acids, indicating alternate codon usage, and hosts a unique hydrolase for bacterial lysis. This study provides new insights into the subfamily Vequintavirinae, of which SSBI34 may represent a new genus.
Highlights
We report a novel lytic bacteriophage of Salmonella Typhimurium with therapeutic potential
Hypothetical proteins were divided into three categories based on amino acid homology in BLASTp: (1) hypothetical proteins unique to SSBI34, having no significant homology with any protein in the database (Figure 3, purple open reading frames (ORFs), 15.6%); (2) hypothetical proteins having 30–70% amino acid homology with different proteins, mostly with members of Vequintavirinae; (3) hypothetical proteins having ≥70% homology with different proteins in BLASTp
We suggest the creation of a new genus in the subfamily Vequintavirinae for phage SSBI34
Summary
Large-scale poultry and livestock rearing in developing countries require the prophylactic use of antimicrobials in subtherapeutic doses to increase production with minimum risk of disease [1,2]. This practice has contributed significantly to rapidly emerging multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) serovars of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, with zoonotic potential [3]. The 2018 International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) classified bacteriophages into 5 families, 26 subfamilies, and 363 genera Despite this diversity, phages are uniquely related to each other through multiple genetic exchanges that account for their evolution. Protein homologies place it within the members of the same subfamily
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