Enterococcus faecium Bacteriophage vB_EfaH_163, a New Member of the Herelleviridae Family, Reduces the Mortality Associated with an E. faecium vanR Clinical Isolate in a Galleria mellonella Animal Model

Viruses. 2023 Jan 7;15(1):179. doi: 10.3390/v15010179.

Abstract

The rise of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria is a major health concern, especially with regard to members of the ESKAPE group, to which vancomycin-resistant (VRE) Enterococcus faecium belongs. Phage therapy has emerged as a novel alternative for the treatment of AMR infections. This, however, relies on the isolation and characterisation of a large collection of phages. This work describes the exploration of human faeces as a source of new E. faecium-infecting phages. Phage vB_EfaH_163 was isolated and characterised at the microbiological, genomic, and functional levels. vB_EfaH_163 phage, a new member of Herelleviridae, subfamily Brockvirinae, has a dsDNA genome of 150,836 bp that does not harbour any virulence factors or antibiotic resistance genes. It infects a wide range of E. faecium strains of different origins, including VRE strains. Interestingly, it can also infect Enterococcus faecalis strains, even some that are linezolid-resistant. Its capacity to control the growth of a clinical VRE isolate was shown in broth culture and in a Galleria mellonella animal model. The discovery and characterisation of vB_EfaH_163 increases the number of phages that might be used therapeutically against AMR bacteria.

Keywords: Enterococcus faecium; Galleria mellonella; phage genomics; phage therapy; vancomycin-resistance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacteriophages*
  • Enterococcus faecium* / genetics
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections* / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Linezolid / therapeutic use
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Models, Animal
  • Moths* / microbiology
  • Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Linezolid

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation of the Principality of Asturias 2018–2022, co-financed by FEDER (AYUD/2021/50916), and by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC201870I091, CSIC).