Abstract
BackgroundAeromonas hydrophila is an important water-borne pathogen that leads to a great economic loss in aquaculture. Along with the abuse of antibiotics, drug-resistant strains rise rapidly. In addition, the biofilms formed by this bacterium limited the antibacterial effect of antibiotics. Bacteriophages have been attracting increasing attention as a potential alternative to antibiotics against bacterial infections.ResultsFive phages against pathogenic A. hydrophila, named N21, W3, G65, Y71 and Y81, were isolated. Morphological analysis by transmission electron microscopy revealed that phages N21, W3 and G65 belong to the family Myoviridae, while Y71 and Y81 belong to the Podoviridae. These phages were found to have broad host spectra, short latent periods and normal burst sizes. They were sensitive to high temperature but had a wide adaptability to the pH. In addition, the phages G65 and Y81 showed considerable bacterial killing effect and potential in preventing formation of A. hydrophila biofilm; and the phages G65, W3 and N21 were able to scavenge mature biofilm effectively. Phage treatments applied to the pathogenic A. hydrophila in mice model resulted in a significantly decreased bacterial loads in tissues.ConclusionsFive A. hydrophila phages were isolated with broad host ranges, low latent periods, and wide pH and thermal tolerance. And the phages exhibited varying abilities in controlling A. hydrophila infection. This work presents promising data supporting the future use of phage therapy.
Highlights
Aeromonas hydrophila is an important water-borne pathogen that leads to a great economic loss in aquaculture
Phage morphology Purified phages were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and classifed based on the criteria proposed by Ackermann [23]
Our study revealed that the phages isolated here had relatively broad spectrum of infectivity against A. hydrophila and showed the potential to infect A. caviae, A. veronii and A. bestiarum
Summary
Aeromonas hydrophila is an important water-borne pathogen that leads to a great economic loss in aquaculture. The bacterium is predominantly pathogenic to poikilothermy animals, including fish, turtles, snakes and amphibians [1]. It is responsible for the large-scale outbreak of fish hemorrhagic septicemia, leading to severe economic losses to aquaculture industry worldwide [2]. Bacteria within a biofilm are more resistant to antibiotics compared to those in the planktonic style, since biofilm structure provides a reduced penetration of antibacterial compounds into the biofilm [16, 17], which make treatment of bacterial infections face a serious challenge.
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