School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya,
Curr Microbiol. 2014 Jan;68(1):64-70. doi: 10.1007/s00284-013-0447-x. Epub 2013 Aug 28.
Over the last decade, cholera outbreaks have become common in some parts of Kenya. The most recent cholera outbreak occurred in Coastal and Lake Victoria region during January 2009 and May 2010, where a total of 11,769 cases and 274 deaths were reported by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation. The objective of this study is to isolate Vibrio cholerae bacteriophages from the environmental waters of the Lake Victoria region of Kenya with potential for use as a biocontrol for cholera outbreaks. Water samples from wells, ponds, sewage effluent, boreholes, rivers, and lakes of the Lake Victoria region of Kenya were enriched for 48 h at 37 °C in broth containing a an environmental strain of V. cholerae. Bacteriophages were isolated from 5 out of the 42 environmental water samples taken. Isolated phages produced tiny, round, and clear plaques suggesting that these phages were lytic to V. cholerae. Transmission electron microscope examination revealed that all the nine phages belonged to the family Myoviridae, with typical icosahedral heads, long contractile tails, and fibers. Head had an average diameter of 88.3 nm and tail of length and width 84.9 and 16.1 nm, respectively. Vibriophages isolated from the Lake Victoria region of Kenya have been characterized and the isolated phages may have a potential to be used as antibacterial agents to control pathogenic V. cholerae bacteria in water reservoirs.
在过去的十年中，肯尼亚的一些地区霍乱疫情时有发生。最近一次霍乱疫情发生在 2009 年 1 月至 2010 年 5 月的沿海和维多利亚湖地区，当时公共卫生部和卫生局报告了总共 11769 例病例和 274 例死亡。本研究的目的是从肯尼亚维多利亚湖地区的环境水中分离霍乱弧菌噬菌体，以期将其作为霍乱疫情的生物控制剂。从肯尼亚维多利亚湖地区的水井、池塘、污水、钻孔、河流和湖泊采集水样，在含有环境菌株霍乱弧菌的肉汤中 37°C 富集 48 小时。从 42 个环境水样中分离出 5 个噬菌体。分离出的噬菌体产生了微小、圆形和透明的噬菌斑，表明这些噬菌体对霍乱弧菌具有裂解作用。透射电子显微镜检查显示，所有 9 个噬菌体都属于肌尾噬菌体科，具有典型的二十面体头部、长收缩尾部和纤维。头部的平均直径为 88.3nm，尾部的长度和宽度分别为 84.9nm 和 16.1nm。从肯尼亚维多利亚湖地区分离出的噬菌体能被很好地表征，分离出的噬菌体能有可能被用作抗菌剂来控制水源中的致病性霍乱弧菌。
