Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.4
4.5
Journals
Microorganisms
Special Issues
Bacteriophage-Host Interactions and Bacteriophage Therapy
share announcement

Bacteriophage-Host Interactions and Bacteriophage Therapy

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2021) | Viewed by 10643

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Andrey Letarov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center Biotechnology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian
2. Federation Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
Interests: bacteriophage; phage-host interactions; phage ecology; phage therapy; molecular microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

From the discovery of bacterial viruses more than a century ago, bacteriophage biology remains one of the most fruitful fields of microbiology and virology. Nowadays, understanding the complex and multifaceted interactions of the bacteriophages with their bacterial hosts goes far beyond a simple paradigm of host–parasite relationships. Phage infection in nature is no longer considered as merely a restrictive factor for microbial populations, but rather as a shaping force, enhancing the evolution, maintaining diversity and stimulating the activities of bacteria.

Nevertheless, recent research and previous practical experience suggest that bacteriophages can be adapted to combat bacterial pathogens in such a complex environment as the human or animal body. Bacteriophage therapy is one of the most promising approaches to tackle the problem of the spreading of drug resistance, threating to return humankind back to the era without effective antibacterial therapy. It becomes evident that in order to make phage therapy effective, it is not enough to administrate to a patient a randomly chosen bacteriophage that is active in vitro against the microbial strain causing the infection. The methodology of the bacteriophage selection, modification and the strategy of phage-based drug administration should be built on the firm foundations of the ‘rules of the game’ of virus–host interactions at all levels, from molecular to organismal and populational.

This Special Issue of Microorganisms will be dedicated to the topics of bacteriophage–host interactions that are relevant for the development of new approaches in phage therapy. This includes but, is not limited to, the following themes: host cell recognition by bacteriophage particles, the factors influencing bacteriophage host ranges and the approaches to the artificial phage host range management, the resistance of bacteria to phages and the physiological consequences of resistance acquisition for bacteria, bacteriophage-mediated gene transfer and the evaluation of the risk associated with the use of transducing or temperate phages for therapy, phage interactions with microbial biofilms, the interactions of bacteriophages or phage–host consortia with macro-organisms, including issues related to phage pharmacokinetics or immune-modulatory effects, as well as other aspects of bacteriophage molecular biology and ecology relevant to bacteriophage therapy. All papers relevant to phage-based biocontrol in agriculture or other similar technologies are also welcome.

Prof. Andrey V. Letarov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phage therapy
  • bacteriophage-host interactions
  • bacteriophage host range determinants
  • bacteriophage engineering
  • bacteriophages in biofilms
  • bacteriophage pharmacokinetics
  • resistance of bacteria to phages
  • bacteriophage interactions with immune system.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 4670 KiB  
Article
Classification of In Vitro Phage–Host Population Growth Dynamics
by Patricia E. Sørensen, Duncan Y. K. Ng, Luc Duchateau, Hanne Ingmer, An Garmyn and Patrick Butaye
Microorganisms 2021, 9(12), 2470; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9122470 - 30 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2813
Abstract
The therapeutic use of bacteriophages (phage therapy) represents a promising alternative to antibiotics to control bacterial pathogens. However, the understanding of the phage–bacterium interactions and population dynamics seems essential for successful phage therapy implementation. Here, we investigated the effect of three factors: phage [...] Read more.
The therapeutic use of bacteriophages (phage therapy) represents a promising alternative to antibiotics to control bacterial pathogens. However, the understanding of the phage–bacterium interactions and population dynamics seems essential for successful phage therapy implementation. Here, we investigated the effect of three factors: phage species (18 lytic E. coli-infecting phages); bacterial strain (10 APEC strains); and multiplicity of infection (MOI) (MOI 10, 1, and 0.1) on the bacterial growth dynamics. All factors had a significant effect, but the phage appeared to be the most important. The results showed seven distinct growth patterns. The first pattern corresponded to the normal bacterial growth pattern in the absence of a phage. The second pattern was complete bacterial killing. The remaining patterns were in-between, characterised by delayed growth and/or variable killing of the bacterial cells. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the phage–host dynamics is an important factor in the capacity of a phage to eliminate bacteria. The classified patterns show that this is an essential factor to consider when developing a phage therapy. This methodology can be used to rapidly screen for novel phage candidates for phage therapy. Accordingly, the most promising candidates were phages found in Group 2, characterised by growth dynamics with high bacterial killing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Host Interactions and Bacteriophage Therapy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1896 KiB  
Communication
In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of the Potential of Escherichia coli Phages to Treat Infections and Survive Gastric Conditions
by Joanna Kaczorowska, Eoghan Casey, Gabriele A. Lugli, Marco Ventura, David J. Clarke, Douwe van Sinderen and Jennifer Mahony
Microorganisms 2021, 9(9), 1869; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9091869 - 3 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2021
Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Shigella ssp. infections are associated with high rates of mortality, especially in infants in developing countries. Due to increasing levels of global antibiotic resistance exhibited by many pathogenic organisms, alternative strategies to combat such infections are urgently required. [...] Read more.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Shigella ssp. infections are associated with high rates of mortality, especially in infants in developing countries. Due to increasing levels of global antibiotic resistance exhibited by many pathogenic organisms, alternative strategies to combat such infections are urgently required. In this study, we evaluated the stability of five coliphages (four Myoviridae and one Siphoviridae phage) over a range of pH conditions and in simulated gastric conditions. The Myoviridae phages were stable across the range of pH 2 to 7, while the Siphoviridae phage, JK16, exhibited higher sensitivity to low pH. A composite mixture of these five phages was tested in vivo in a Galleria mellonella model. The obtained data clearly shows potential in treating E. coli infections prophylactically. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Host Interactions and Bacteriophage Therapy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 6655 KiB  
Article
12/111phiA Prophage Domestication Is Associated with Autoaggregation and Increased Ability to Produce Biofilm in Streptococcus agalactiae
by Adélaïde Renard, Seydina M. Diene, Luka Courtier-Martinez, Julien Burlaud Gaillard, Houssein Gbaguidi-Haore, Laurent Mereghetti, Roland Quentin, Patrice Francois and Nathalie Van Der Mee-Marquet
Microorganisms 2021, 9(6), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9061112 - 21 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2381
Abstract
CC17 Streptococcus agalactiae carrying group-A prophages is increasingly responsible for neonatal infections. To investigate the impact of the genetic features of a group-A prophage, we first conducted an in silico analysis of the genome of 12/111phiA, a group-A prophage carried by a strain [...] Read more.
CC17 Streptococcus agalactiae carrying group-A prophages is increasingly responsible for neonatal infections. To investigate the impact of the genetic features of a group-A prophage, we first conducted an in silico analysis of the genome of 12/111phiA, a group-A prophage carried by a strain responsible for a bloodstream infection in a parturient. This revealed a Restriction Modification system, suggesting a prophage maintenance strategy and five ORFs of interest for the host and encoding a type II toxin antitoxin system RelB/YafQ, an endonuclease, an S-adenosylmethionine synthetase MetK, and an StrP-like adhesin. Using the WT strain cured from 12/111phiA and constructing deleted mutants for the ORFs of interest, and their complemented mutants, we demonstrated an impact of prophage features on growth characteristics, cell morphology and biofilm formation. Our findings argue in favor of 12/111phiA domestication by the host and a role of prophage features in cell autoaggregation, glycocalyx and biofilm formation. We suggest that lysogeny may promote GBS adaptation to the acid environment of the vagina, consequently colonizing and infecting neonates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Host Interactions and Bacteriophage Therapy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 1848 KiB  
Article
Phage Digestion of a Bacterial Capsule Imparts Resistance to Two Antibiotic Agents
by Cheng-Hung Luo, Ya-Han Hsu, Wen-Jui Wu, Kai-Chih Chang and Chen-Sheng Yeh
Microorganisms 2021, 9(4), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040794 - 10 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2577
Abstract
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, replicating and multiplying using host resources. For specific infections, bacteriophages have developed extraordinary proteins for recognizing and degrading their host. Inspired by the remarkable development of viral proteins, we used the tail fiber protein to treat multiple [...] Read more.
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, replicating and multiplying using host resources. For specific infections, bacteriophages have developed extraordinary proteins for recognizing and degrading their host. Inspired by the remarkable development of viral proteins, we used the tail fiber protein to treat multiple drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. The tail fiber protein exhibits polysaccharide depolymerases activity which specifically degrades exopolysaccharide (EPS) during the phage–host interaction. However, EPS-degraded cells are observed altering host susceptibility to bacterial lysis peptide, the endolysin-derived peptide. Notably, endolysin is necessary in the process of progeny liberation by breaking the bacterial cell wall. Surprisingly, peeling the EPS animated host to resist colistin, the last-resort antibiotic used in multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria infection. Tail fiber-modified cell wall reduces colistin attachment, causing temporary antibiotic-resistance and possibly raising clinical risks in treating multiple drug-resistant A. baumannii. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Host Interactions and Bacteriophage Therapy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop