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Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Bacteriophage Ec_MI-02 from Pigeon Feces Infecting Escherichia coli O157:H7
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Isolation, Characterization, and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Bacteriophage Ec_MI-02 from Pigeon Feces Infecting Escherichia coli O157:H7

Mohamad Ismail Sultan-Alolama, Amr Amin, Ranjit Vijayan and Khaled A El-Tarabily
International journal of molecular sciences, Vol.24(11), 9506
2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119506
PMID: 37298457
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Published3.85 MBDownloadView
CC BY V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

Animals Bacteriophages - genetics Cattle Columbidae Escherichia coli O157 - genetics Escherichia coli O157 - metabolism Feces Genomics Humans Myoviridae - genetics
The most significant serotype of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli that causes foodborne illnesses is Escherichia coli O157:H7. Elimination of E. coli O157:H7 during food processing and storage is a possible solution. Bacteriophages have a significant impact on bacterial populations in nature due to their ability to lyse their bacterial host. In the current study, a virulent bacteriophage, Ec_MI-02, was isolated from the feces of a wild pigeon in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for potential future use as a bio-preservative or in phage therapy. Using a spot test and an efficiency of plating analysis, Ec_MI-02 was found to infect in addition to the propagation host, E. coli O157:H7 NCTC 12900, five different serotypes of E. coli O157:H7 (three clinical samples from infected patients, one from contaminated green salad, and one from contaminated ground beef). Based on morphology and genome analysis, Ec_MI-02 belongs to the genus Tequatrovirus under the order Caudovirales. The adsorption rate constant (K) of Ec_MI-02 was found to be 1.55 × 10−8 mL/min. The latent period was 50 min with a burst size of almost 10 plaque forming units (pfu)/host cell in the one-step growth curve when the phage Ec_MI-02 was cultivated using the propagation host E. coli O157:H7 NCTC 12900. Ec_MI-02 was found to be stable at a wide range of pH, temperature, and commonly used laboratory disinfectants. Its genome is 165,454 bp long with a GC content of 35.5% and encodes 266 protein coding genes. Ec_MI-02 has genes encoding for rI, rII, and rIII lysis inhibition proteins, which supports the observation of delayed lysis in the one-step growth curve. The current study provides additional evidence that wild birds could also be a good natural reservoir for bacteriophages that do not carry antibiotic resistance genes and could be good candidates for phage therapy. In addition, studying the genetic makeup of bacteriophages that infect human pathogens is crucial for ensuring their safe usage in the food industry.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.42 Bacteriology
1.42.1349 Bacteriophage
Web Of Science research areas
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
ESI research areas
Chemistry
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