Isolation, Characterization, and Bioinformatic Analyses of Lytic Salmonella Enteritidis Phages and Tests of Their Antibacterial Activity in Food

• Published in: Current microbiology 2017-02, Vol.74 (2), p.175-183
• Main Authors: Han, Han, Wei, Xiaoting, Wei, Yi, Zhang, Xiufeng, Li, Xuemin, Jiang, Jinzhong, Wang, Ran
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimicrobial agents; Bacteriolysis; Bioinformatics; Biological control; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Computational Biology; Contamination; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA, Viral - genetics; Food additives; Food contamination & poisoning; Food Microbiology; Food safety; Gene Order; Genes, Viral; Genome, Viral; Host Specificity; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Myoviridae; Myoviridae - genetics; Myoviridae - isolation & purification; Myoviridae - physiology; Myoviridae - ultrastructure; Restriction Mapping; Salmonella; Salmonella enteritidis; Salmonella enteritidis - growth & development; Salmonella enteritidis - virology; Salmonella Phages - genetics; Salmonella Phages - isolation & purification; Salmonella Phages - physiology; Salmonella Phages - ultrastructure; Sewage; Sewage - virology; Siphoviridae; Siphoviridae - genetics; Siphoviridae - isolation & purification; Siphoviridae - physiology; Siphoviridae - ultrastructure; Viral Plaque Assay; Virion - ultrastructure; Viruses
• ISSN: 0343-8651; 1432-0991
• DOI: 10.1007/s00284-016-1169-7

Salmonella Enteritidis remains a major threat for food safety. To take efforts to develop phage-based biocontrol for S. Enteritidis contamination in food, in this study, the phages against S. Enteritidis were isolated from sewage samples, characterized by host range assays, DNA restriction enzyme pattern analyses, and transmission electron microscope observations, and tested for antibacterial activity in food; some potent phages were further characterized by bioinformatic analyses. Results showed that based on the plaque quality and host range, seven lytic phages targeting S . Enteritidis were selected, considered as seven distinct phages through DNA physical maps, and classified as Myoviridae or Siphoviridae family by morphologic observations; the combined use of such seven strain phages as a “food additive” could succeed in controlling the artificial S . Enteritidis contamination in the different physical forms of food at a range of temperatures; by bioinformatic analyses, both selected phage BPS 11 Q 3 and BPS 15 Q 2 seemed to be newfound obligate lytic phage strains with no indications for any potentially harmful genes in their genomes. In conclusion, our results showed a potential of isolated phages as food additives for controlling S . Enteritidis contamination in some salmonellosis outbreak-associated food vehicles, and there could be minimized potential risk associated with using BPS 11 Q 3 and BPS 15 Q 2 in food.