Isolation and characterization of a novel Bacillus cereus bacteriophage vBce-DP7

Abstract

Foodborne pathogens have become a major concern for public health. Bacillus cereus, a representative foodborne pathogen, is particularly challenging due to its ability to cause food poisoning and its resilient spores that are difficult to completely eradicate. Therefore, it is crucial to develop measures to prevent and control B. cereus. Bacteriophages, which are high specific towards their host strains and cannot infect eukaryotes, have proven to be effective in combating foodborne pathogens and are safe for human use. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel bacteriophage named vBce-DP7 that specifically targets B. cereus strains belonging to three different sequence types (STs). Phage vBce-DP7 is a lytic one and has a short latent time of only 15 minutes. Moreover, it exhibited a good temperature tolerance, retaining high activity across a broad range of 4 - 55 °C. Additionally, its activity remains unaffected within a wide pH range spanning from 2 - 10. Interestingly, with only 4% genetic similarity with known bacteriophages, vBce-BP7 shows a possible classification on a family level though it shares many similar functional proteins with Salasmaviridae bacteriophages. Taken together, vBce-BP7 demonstrates its significant potential for further exploration in terms of phage diversity and its application in controlling B. cereus.