Toaquiza-Vilca Belén, Quito-Avila Diego, Maldonado-Alvarado Pedro, Ruiz-Barzola Omar, Debut Alexis, Montiel Marynes
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN), Quito, Ecuador.
Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Jul;13(7):e0130124. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01301-24. Epub 2025 May 22.
Infections caused by pathogenic strains are increasing, and with the rising of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens, alternative therapeutic options are being actively explored, including phage therapy. In this research, a new bacteriophage, provisionally named BME3, with lytic activity against was identified and characterized at the physicochemical, morphological, and genetic levels. BME3 was isolated from the tropical estuarine waters of Estero Salado, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Subsequently, it was purified and amplified, followed by a series of tests that included host range, stability studies, morphological characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and whole genome sequencing. The genomic analysis revealed that BME3 is closely related to members of the genus , with a double-stranded DNA genome of 147,371 bp in length, a GC content of 37.5%, and 16 tRNA genes. In addition, BME3 lacks genes associated with lysogenesis, antibiotic resistance, or virulence. BME3 infected approximately 48% (13/27) of environmental strains. Among these, the infection rate was higher for antibiotic-resistant strains (67%) compared to intermediate and sensitive strains (33%). The phage infected and sp. strains but did not affect sp., sp., or sp. Moreover, BME3 was found to be stable at temperatures below 60°C, in pH ranges between 5 and 9, and was not sensitive to chloroform. TEM analysis supported the genetic sequence that assigned BME3 to the class . Phenotypic, genomic, and physicochemical characterization suggests that BME3 represents a promising option for phage therapy, with the potential to control antibiotic-resistant bacteria.IMPORTANCEAlthough metagenomics offers a wealth of information, not all microorganisms can be isolated and cultivated in the laboratory. In this study, we successfully isolated and characterized a phage belonging to the genus. This group has been poorly studied regarding its physicochemical properties and lysis profile against antibiotic-resistant environmental bacteria. These bacteriophages have received less attention compared to well-studied models such as phage T4. The isolation and characterization of the indigenous polyvalent bacteriophage BME3, obtained from tropical estuarine waters in Ecuador, provide valuable insights into its potential applications for environmental control of and for mitigating the spread of bacterial resistance.
由致病菌株引起的感染正在增加，并且随着细菌病原体中抗菌药物耐药性的上升，正在积极探索替代治疗选择，包括噬菌体疗法。在本研究中，鉴定了一种对[未提及的细菌]具有裂解活性的新型噬菌体，暂命名为BME3，并在物理化学、形态学和遗传学水平上对其进行了表征。BME3是从厄瓜多尔瓜亚基尔埃斯特罗萨拉多的热带河口水中分离出来的。随后，对其进行了纯化和扩增，接着进行了一系列测试，包括宿主范围、稳定性研究、通过透射电子显微镜（TEM）进行形态学表征以及全基因组测序。基因组分析表明，BME3与[未提及的属]的成员密切相关，其双链DNA基因组长度为147,371 bp，GC含量为37.5%，有16个tRNA基因。此外，BME3缺乏与溶原性、抗生素抗性或毒力相关的基因。BME3感染了大约48%（13/27）的环境[未提及的细菌]菌株。其中，与中度敏感和敏感菌株（33%）相比，抗生素抗性菌株的感染率更高（67%）。该噬菌体感染了[未提及的细菌]和[未提及的细菌]种菌株，但不影响[未提及的细菌]种、[未提及的细菌]种或[未提及的细菌]种。此外，发现BME3在60°C以下的温度、pH值在5至9的范围内稳定，并且对氯仿不敏感。TEM分析支持了将BME3归类为[未提及的类别]的基因序列。表型、基因组和物理化学表征表明，BME3是噬菌体疗法的一个有前景的选择，具有控制抗生素抗性细菌的潜力。重要性虽然宏基因组学提供了大量信息，但并非所有微生物都能在实验室中分离和培养。在本研究中，我们成功分离并表征了一种属于[未提及的属]的噬菌体。关于该属噬菌体的物理化学性质及其对环境抗生素抗性细菌的裂解谱，此前研究较少。与诸如噬菌体T4等研究充分的模型相比，这些噬菌体受到的关注较少。从厄瓜多尔热带河口水中获得的本地多价噬菌体BME3的分离和表征，为其在环境中控制[未提及的细菌]以及减轻细菌耐药性传播方面的潜在应用提供了有价值的见解。
