Characterization and Genome Sequencing of a Novel Lytic Bacteriophage Infecting Hospital-Associated Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain from Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Background
Multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens pose a grave threat to global health, with Klebsiella pneumoniae being a particular concern due to its hypervariable extracellular matrix capsule and frequent development of extended-spectrum β-lactamases and other antibiotic defenses. Treating K. pneumoniae -induced infections with antibiotics is becoming increasingly challenging, necessitating the development of new approaches to address this problem. Phages have emerged as a promising alternative to antibiotics due to their high host specificity, abundance in nature, and evolvability. However, their host specificity makes it difficult to target highly diverse bacterial species using phage therapy.
Methods
In this study, a K. pneumoniae bacteriophage was characterized using double-agar overlay (DLA), host range testing, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) MinION long-read sequencer for whole genome sequencing.
Results
The phage was isolated from a hospital sewage drain and showed activity against multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae, and showed extensive activity against strains from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sequence analysis confirmed that the phage belonged to the family Siphoviridae , subfamily Unclassified Webervirus .
Conclusion
The findings of this study highlight the potential of sewage samples as a rich source of bacteriophages against medically important pathogens. Further studies on the biological characteristics of this K. pneumoniae bacteriophage could yield valuable insights into the development of a potential therapeutic agent for K. pneumoniae specific infections. It is worth noting that although the viruses were only found in sewage from places with increasing reports of K. pneumoniae infections, such as public hospitals, they hold promise for addressing the growing problem of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
