Identification and Characterization of vB_PreP_EPr2, a Lytic Bacteriophage of Pan-Drug Resistant <i>Providencia rettgeri</i>
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
Affiliations
Jaime L. Mencke
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Yunxiu He
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Andrey A. Filippov
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Mikeljon P. Nikolich
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Ashton T. Belew
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Derrick E. Fouts
J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
Patrick T. McGann
Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network (MRSN), Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Brett E. Swierczewski
Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Derese Getnet
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Damon W. Ellison
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Katie R. Margulieux
Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
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.
