Isolation and Characterization of Klebsiella Phages for Phage Therapy

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  • Eleanor M Townsend
    The University of Warwick
  • Lucy Kelly
    The University of Warwick
  • Lucy Gannon
    Leicester University
  • George Muscatt
    The University of Warwick
  • Rhys Dunstan
    Monash University
  • Slawomir Michniewski
    The University of Warwick
  • Hari Sapkota
    Leicester University
  • Saija J Kiljunen
    University of Helsinki
  • Anna Kolsi
    University of Helsinki
  • Mikael Skurnik
    University of Helsinki
  • Trevor Lithgow
    Monash University
  • Andrew D Millard
    Leicester University
  • Eleanor Jameson
    The University of WarwickTeesside University

Introduction: Klebsiella is a clinically important pathogen causing a variety of antimicrobial resistant infections in both community and nosocomial settings, particularly pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and sepsis. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is being considered a primary option for the treatment of drug-resistant infections of these types. Methods: We report the successful isolation and characterization of 30 novel, genetically diverse Klebsiella phages. Results: The isolated phages span six different phage families and nine genera, representing both lysogenic and lytic lifestyles. Individual Klebsiella phage isolates infected up to 11 of the 18 Klebsiella capsule types tested, and all 18 capsule-types were infected by at least one of the phages. Conclusions: Of the Klebsiella-infecting phages presented in this study, the lytic phages are most suitable for phage therapy, based on their broad host range, high virulence, short lysis period and given that they encode no known toxin or antimicrobial resistance genes. Phage isolates belonging to the Sugarlandvirus and Slopekvirus genera were deemed most suitable for phage therapy based on our characterization. Importantly, when applied alone, none of the characterized phages were able to suppress the growth of Klebsiella for more than 12 h, likely due to the inherent ease of Klebsiella to generate spontaneous phage-resistant mutants. This indicates that for successful phage therapy, a cocktail of multiple phages would be necessary to treat Klebsiella infections.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)26-42
Number of pages17
JournalPHAGE (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
Volume2
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Mar 2021
Externally publishedYes

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