Identification and Characterization of vB_PreP_EPr2, a Lytic Bacteriophage of Pan-Drug Resistant Providencia rettgeri

Jaime L Mencke; Yunxiu He; Andrey A Filippov; Mikeljon P Nikolich; Ashton T Belew; Derrick E Fouts; Patrick T McGann; Brett E Swierczewski; Derese Getnet; Damon W Ellison; Katie R Margulieux

doi:10.3390/v14040708

Identification and Characterization of vB_PreP_EPr2, a Lytic Bacteriophage of Pan-Drug Resistant Providencia rettgeri

Viruses. 2022 Mar 29;14(4):708. doi: 10.3390/v14040708.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
² F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
³ J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
⁴ Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network (MRSN), Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
⁵ Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.

Abstract

Providencia rettgeri is an emerging opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen with reports of increasing antibiotic resistance. Pan-drug resistant (PDR) P. rettgeri infections are a growing concern, demonstrating a need for the development of alternative treatment options which is fueling a renewed interest in bacteriophage (phage) therapy. Here, we identify and characterize phage vB_PreP_EPr2 (EPr2) with lytic activity against PDR P. rettgeri MRSN 845308, a clinical isolate that carries multiple antibiotic resistance genes. EPr2 was isolated from an environmental water sample and belongs to the family Autographiviridae, subfamily Studiervirinae and genus Kayfunavirus, with a genome size of 41,261 base pairs. Additional phenotypic characterization showed an optimal MOI of 1 and a burst size of 12.3 ± 3.4 PFU per bacterium. EPr2 was determined to have a narrow host range against a panel of clinical P. rettgeri strains. Despite this fact, EPr2 is a promising lytic phage with potential for use as an alternative therapeutic for treatment of PDR P. rettgeri infections.

Keywords: Autographiviridae; Kayfunavirus; Providencia rettgeri; Studiervirinae; bacteriophage; pan-drug resistance; podophage.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bacteriophages*
Host Specificity
Providencia / genetics

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Supplementary concepts

Providencia rettgeri