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Hourigan D, Stefanovic E, Hill C, Ross RP. Promiscuous, persistent and problematic: insights into current enterococcal genomics to guide therapeutic strategy. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:103. [PMID: 38539119 PMCID: PMC10976773 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-024-03243-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are major opportunistic pathogens and the causative agents of serious diseases, such as urinary tract infections and endocarditis. VRE strains mainly include species of Enterococcus faecium and E. faecalis which can colonise the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of patients and, following growth and persistence in the gut, can transfer to blood resulting in systemic dissemination in the body. Advancements in genomics have revealed that hospital-associated VRE strains are characterised by increased numbers of mobile genetic elements, higher numbers of antibiotic resistance genes and often lack active CRISPR-Cas systems. Additionally, comparative genomics have increased our understanding of dissemination routes among patients and healthcare workers. Since the efficiency of currently available antibiotics is rapidly declining, new measures to control infection and dissemination of these persistent pathogens are urgently needed. These approaches include combinatory administration of antibiotics, strengthening colonisation resistance of the gut microbiota to reduce VRE proliferation through commensals or probiotic bacteria, or switching to non-antibiotic bacterial killers, such as bacteriophages or bacteriocins. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of the genomics of VRE isolates and state-of-the-art therapeutic advances against VRE infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hourigan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
| | - Ewelina Stefanovic
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Moorepark West, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
| | - Colin Hill
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
| | - R Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland.
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland.
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Moorepark West, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland.
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2
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Chen Y, Guo R, Liang Y, Luo L, Han Y, Wang H, Zhang H, Liu Y, Zheng K, Shao H, Sung YY, Mok WJ, Wong LL, McMinn A, Wang M. Characterization and genomic analysis of a novel lytic phage vB_PstM_ZRG1 infecting Stutzerimonas stutzeri, representing a new viral genus, Elithevirus. Virus Res 2023; 334:199183. [PMID: 37499764 PMCID: PMC10404802 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Stutzerimonas stutzeri is an opportunistic pathogen widely distributed in the environment and displays diverse metabolic capabilities. In this study, a novel lytic S. stutzeri phage, named vB_PstM_ZRG1, was isolated from the seawater in the East China Sea (29°09'N, 123°39'E). vB_PstM_ZRG1 was stable at temperatures ranging from -20°C to 65°C and across a wide range of pH values from 3 to 10. The genome of vB_PstM_ZRG1 was determined to be a double-stranded DNA with a genome size of 52,767 bp, containing 78 putative open reading frames (ORFs). Three auxiliary metabolic genes encoded by phage vB_PstM_ZRG1 were predicted, including Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain, proline-alanine-alanine-arginine (PAAR) protein and SGNH (Ser-Gly-Asn-His) family hydrolase, especially TIR domain is not common in isolated phages. Phylogenic and network analysis showed that vB_PstM_ZRG1 has low similarity to other phage genomes in the GenBank and IMG/VR database, and might represent a novel viral genus, named Elithevirus. Additionally, the distribution map results indicated that vB_PstM_ZRG1 could infect both extreme colds- and warm-type hosts in the marine environment. In summary, our finding provided basic information for further research on the relationship between S. stutzeri and their phages, and expanded our understanding of genomic characteristics, phylogenetic diversity and distribution of Elithevirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Ruizhe Guo
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yantao Liang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, China.
| | - Lin Luo
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Ying Han
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Hongmin Wang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yundan Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Kaiyang Zheng
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Hongbing Shao
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, China
| | - Yeong Yik Sung
- UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, China; Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Wen Jye Mok
- UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, China; Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Li Lian Wong
- UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, China; Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Andrew McMinn
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Min Wang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Center for Ocean Carbon Neutrality, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre for Marine Studies, Qingdao, China; Haide College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266000, China.
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3
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Alanin KWS, Olsen NS, Djurhuus AM, Carstens AB, Nielsen TK, Wagner N, Lametsch R, Bak F, Hennessy RC, Nicolaisen MH, Kot W, Hansen LH. Three novel Erwinia billingiae phages isolated from organic waste represent three new genera. Arch Virol 2023; 168:71. [PMID: 36658443 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-023-05700-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite the ecological significance of viral communities, phages remain insufficiently studied. Current genomic databases lack high-quality phage genome sequences linked to specific bacteria. Bacteria of the genus Erwinia are known to colonize the phyllosphere of plants, both as commensals and as pathogens. We isolated three Erwinia billingiae phages-Zoomie, Pecta, and Snitter-from organic household waste. Based on sequence similarity to their closest relatives, we propose that they represent three new genera: "Pectavirus" within the family Zobellviridae, "Snittervirus" in the subfamily Tempevirinae, family Drexlerviridae, and "Zoomievirus" within the family Autographiviridae, which, together with the genus Limelightvirus, may constitute a new subfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrine Wacenius Skov Alanin
- Department for Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark.,Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Nikoline S Olsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Amaru Miranda Djurhuus
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Alexander Byth Carstens
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Tue Kjærgaard Nielsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Natalia Wagner
- Institute for Microbiology and Biotechnology, Max Rubner-Institut, Hermann-Weigmann-Str. 1, 24103, Kiel, Germany
| | - René Lametsch
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Frederik Bak
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Rosanna Catherine Hennessy
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Mette Haubjerg Nicolaisen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Witold Kot
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| | - Lars Hestbjerg Hansen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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Tkachev PV, Pchelin IM, Azarov DV, Gorshkov AN, Shamova OV, Dmitriev AV, Goncharov AE. Two Novel Lytic Bacteriophages Infecting Enterococcus spp. Are Promising Candidates for Targeted Antibacterial Therapy. Viruses 2022; 14:831. [PMID: 35458561 PMCID: PMC9030284 DOI: 10.3390/v14040831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance is of major concern globally. Among the most worrying pathogenic bacteria are vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Phage therapy is a highly promising method for controlling enterococcal infections. In this study, we described two virulent tailed bacteriophages possessing lytic activity against Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium isolates. The SSsP-1 bacteriophage belonged to the Saphexavirus genus of the Siphoviridae family, and the GVEsP-1 bacteriophage belonged to the Schiekvirus genus of Herelleviridae. The genomes of both viruses carried putative components of anti-CRISPR systems and did not contain known genes coding for antibiotic-resistance determinants and virulence factors. The conservative arrangement of protein-coding sequences in Saphexavirus and Schiekvirus genomes taken together with positive results of treating enterococcal peritonitis in an animal infection model imply the potential suitability of GVEsP-1 and SSsP-1 bacteriophages for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel V. Tkachev
- Scientific and Educational Center “Molecular Bases of Interaction of Microorganisms and Human” of the WCRC “Center for Personalized Medicine”, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 197022 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (I.M.P.); (D.V.A.); (O.V.S.); (A.V.D.)
| | - Ivan M. Pchelin
- Scientific and Educational Center “Molecular Bases of Interaction of Microorganisms and Human” of the WCRC “Center for Personalized Medicine”, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 197022 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (I.M.P.); (D.V.A.); (O.V.S.); (A.V.D.)
| | - Daniil V. Azarov
- Scientific and Educational Center “Molecular Bases of Interaction of Microorganisms and Human” of the WCRC “Center for Personalized Medicine”, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 197022 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (I.M.P.); (D.V.A.); (O.V.S.); (A.V.D.)
| | - Andrey N. Gorshkov
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia;
- Laboratory of Pathomorphology, Almazov National Research Centre, 197341 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga V. Shamova
- Scientific and Educational Center “Molecular Bases of Interaction of Microorganisms and Human” of the WCRC “Center for Personalized Medicine”, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 197022 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (I.M.P.); (D.V.A.); (O.V.S.); (A.V.D.)
| | - Alexander V. Dmitriev
- Scientific and Educational Center “Molecular Bases of Interaction of Microorganisms and Human” of the WCRC “Center for Personalized Medicine”, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 197022 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (I.M.P.); (D.V.A.); (O.V.S.); (A.V.D.)
| | - Artemiy E. Goncharov
- Scientific and Educational Center “Molecular Bases of Interaction of Microorganisms and Human” of the WCRC “Center for Personalized Medicine”, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 197022 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (I.M.P.); (D.V.A.); (O.V.S.); (A.V.D.)
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Ibarra-Chávez R, Hansen MF, Pinilla-Redondo R, Seed KD, Trivedi U. Phage satellites and their emerging applications in biotechnology. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:fuab031. [PMID: 34104956 PMCID: PMC8632786 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The arms race between (bacterio)phages and their hosts is a recognised hot spot for genome evolution. Indeed, phages and their components have historically paved the way for many molecular biology techniques and biotech applications. Further exploration into their complex lifestyles has revealed that phages are often parasitised by distinct types of hyperparasitic mobile genetic elements. These so-called phage satellites exploit phages to ensure their own propagation and horizontal transfer into new bacterial hosts, and their prevalence and peculiar lifestyle has caught the attention of many researchers. Here, we review the parasite-host dynamics of the known phage satellites, their genomic organisation and their hijacking mechanisms. Finally, we discuss how these elements can be repurposed for diverse biotech applications, kindling a new catalogue of exciting tools for microbiology and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Ibarra-Chávez
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mads Frederik Hansen
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Rafael Pinilla-Redondo
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kimberley D Seed
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Urvish Trivedi
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Alanin KWS, Junco LMF, Jørgensen JB, Nielsen TK, Rasmussen MA, Kot W, Hansen LH. Metaviromes Reveal the Dynamics of Pseudomonas Host-Specific Phages Cultured and Uncultured by Plaque Assay. Viruses 2021; 13:959. [PMID: 34064231 PMCID: PMC8224292 DOI: 10.3390/v13060959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Isolating single phages using plaque assays is a laborious and time-consuming process. Whether single isolated phages are the most lyse-effective, the most abundant in viromes, or those with the highest ability to make plaques in solid media is not well known. With the increasing accessibility of high-throughput sequencing, metaviromics is often used to describe viruses in environmental samples. By extracting and sequencing metaviromes from organic waste with and without exposure to a host-of-interest, we show a host-related phage community's shift, as well as identify the most enriched phages. Moreover, we isolated plaque-forming single phages using the same virome-host matrix to observe how enrichments in liquid media correspond to the metaviromic data. In this study, we observed a significant shift (p = 0.015) of the 47 identified putative Pseudomonas phages with a minimum twofold change above zero in read abundance when adding a Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 host. Surprisingly, it appears that only two out of five plaque-forming phages from the same organic waste sample, targeting the Pseudomonas strain, were highly abundant in the metavirome, while the other three were almost absent despite host exposure. Lastly, our sequencing results highlight how long reads from Oxford Nanopore elevates the assembly quality of metaviromes, compared to short reads alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrine Wacenius Skov Alanin
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (K.W.S.A.); (L.M.F.J.); (J.B.J.); (T.K.N.)
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Laura Milena Forero Junco
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (K.W.S.A.); (L.M.F.J.); (J.B.J.); (T.K.N.)
| | - Jacob Bruun Jørgensen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (K.W.S.A.); (L.M.F.J.); (J.B.J.); (T.K.N.)
| | - Tue Kjærgaard Nielsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (K.W.S.A.); (L.M.F.J.); (J.B.J.); (T.K.N.)
| | - Morten Arendt Rasmussen
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark;
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2820 Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Witold Kot
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (K.W.S.A.); (L.M.F.J.); (J.B.J.); (T.K.N.)
| | - Lars Hestbjerg Hansen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (K.W.S.A.); (L.M.F.J.); (J.B.J.); (T.K.N.)
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